MONROVIA – At a time when public confidence in Liberia’s anti-corruption architecture is under intense scrutiny, the Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce (AREPT) has moved to reassert its relevance, resolve, and independence. With several high-profile economic crime cases now unsealed and dozens more under investigation, the Taskforce says it is steadily translating presidential directives into concrete legal action. Its leadership argues that while the pace of justice may appear slow to a frustrated public, asset tracing and recovery demand painstaking investigations, international cooperation, and strict adherence to due process. As political pressure mounts and judicial timelines stretch, AREPT is positioning its 2025 record as proof that Liberia’s fight against corruption, though complex, remains active, methodical, and far from symbolic. THE ANALYST’S George C. Flomo reports.
The Head of Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce (AREPT), Edwin Kia Martin, on Tuesday reaffirmed the government’s “unwavering commitment” to combating corruption, tracing illicit wealth, and recovering stolen public assets, as the Taskforce intensifies pursuit of major economic crime cases across the country.
Speaking at the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing, Cllr. Martin thanked the Government and people of Liberia, the media, and AREPT’s domestic and international partners for sustained support.
He described 2025 as a demanding year marked by legal pushback, public skepticism, and complex financial trails, but stressed that the Taskforce nonetheless recorded measurable progress in confronting suspicious asset accumulation and entrenched corruption networks.
According to him, AREPT continues to operate under the authority of Executive Order No. 145, maintaining functional independence while observing the rule of law and due process. “Our mandate is clear,” he said, “and our work is evidence-based, not driven by sentiment or politics.”
Providing an overview of AREPT’s 2025 activities, the Chairman disclosed that the Taskforce established formal working relationships with several United Kingdom-based international firms, including Grant Thornton, Omnia Strategy LLP, FTI Consulting, and Blake Morgan.
These partnerships, he explained, are intended to strengthen Liberia’s capacity to pursue complex cross-border asset recovery litigation and financial forensic investigations on behalf of the Republic.
Cllr. Martin also highlighted a major legal milestone at the Supreme Court of Liberia, where a nine-month stay order was lifted following arguments related to a petition filed in 2024 by Gracious Ride. He said the ruling cleared a critical procedural hurdle that had slowed progress in one of the Taskforce’s key cases.
On enforcement outcomes, the AREPT Chairman announced that the Taskforce completed investigations and unsealed three major indictments during the year, while keeping forty additional cases under active investigation.
These matters, he noted, involve alleged theft of public property, money laundering, abuse of office, and other serious corruption-related offenses.
The unsealed indictments include the Saudi Rice Case, which centers on the alleged mismanagement of US$500,000 worth of rice donated to Liberia by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; the Anita Group of Companies and Gracious Ride Case, involving alleged money laundering and the concealment of more than US$6.7 million and L$845 million in public funds; and the MDMC and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Contract Case, involving the alleged misappropriation of US$851,136.13 from a US$1.95 million renovation contract.
Addressing the legal status of the cases, Cllr. Martin said all indictments have been formally served and are now pending trial litigation. He noted that January marked three months since a stay order was issued in November 2025 by Supreme Court Justice in Chambers, Jamesetta Howard Wolokolie, following a petition filed by Thelma Duncan Sawyer, who is named as a defendant in all three matters.
He disclosed that an assignment has since been issued for the hearing of the MDMC and Ministry of Foreign Affairs case, signaling potential forward movement. While emphasizing respect for judicial independence, the AREPT Chairman expressed hope that corruption-related cases would be treated with the urgency warranted by their public interest implications.
Responding to concerns about indicted individuals who have not yet been arrested, Cllr. Martin confirmed that while most defendants have been served with indictments and writs of arrest, Pamela Anita Jallah, Chief Executive Officer of the Anita Group of Companies, and Nora Finda Bundoo, former Chief of Protocol, remain at large. He assured the public that lawful domestic and international mechanisms have been activated to secure their arrest and prosecution.
The AREPT head also addressed a recent controversy involving MDMC, which reportedly submitted a Christmas parcel to the Taskforce despite being under indictment. He said the parcel was immediately returned and condemned as a serious breach of ethical standards and institutional boundaries.
According to him, MDMC, through its Chief Executive Officer, has been issued a 72-hour ultimatum to explain the intent behind the submission. AREPT warned that it does not accept gifts, parcels, or pleasantries from indicted persons or institutions, stressing that any repetition would trigger immediate arrest and further criminal investigation.
Looking ahead to 2026, Cllr. Martin said AREPT will intensify investigations into its forty active cases, push forward prosecutions already before the courts, work toward unsealing additional indictments, and expand nationwide anti-corruption awareness campaigns to encourage citizen participation.
He concluded by thanking Liberians for their patience, information sharing, and continued vigilance, urging citizens to report corruption and economic crimes. “Our assurance,” he said, “is that every investigation will remain impartial, evidence-driven, and conducted strictly within the confines of the law.”