MONROVIA – Liberia’s Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon has delivered a scoping criticism of the controversial Oranto Petroleum Production Sharing Contract, exposing disturbing inconsistencies and administrative negligence on the part of government institutions charged with negotiating and submitting the agreement. The contract, sent to the Legislature for ratification, came under intense examination during a joint Senate committee hearing, with Dillon questioning the legitimacy of the deal and the credibility of the process, and the Montserado County senator was on top of the game: almost shaming Executive Branch representatives at the hearing with tough questioning exposing the weaknesses in the government’s handling of the contract, while the officials struggled to provide satisfactory answers. THE ANALYST’S GEORGE FLOMO AND ANTHONY JAFFAN report.
Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon on Friday delivered a blistering scrutiny of the controversial Oranto Petroleum Production Sharing Contract currently before the Liberian Senate, exposing what he described as disturbing inconsistencies and administrative negligence on the part of government institutions charged with negotiating and submitting the agreement.
The contract—sent to the Legislature for ratification—came under intense examination during a joint Senate committee hearing when Senator Dillon uncovered that the copy submitted to him was unsigned, incomplete, and conflicting with other versions that was shared with his colleagues and the Executive Mansion allegedly signed.
From the onset of the hearing, Senator Dillon set the tone by requesting that government representatives present their own copies of the Oranto deal.
Shockingly, none of them had the contract they submitted to the Legislature in hard copy.
“You came for public hearing and the contract you sent to us, none of you brought a copy. What are we talking about here?” Dillon questioned sharply, raising concerns about the competence of the ministries and agencies handling the multi-million-dollar petroleum agreement.
Dillon went further to display his own copy of the Oranto deal—specifically pointing to page 98, where signatures appeared purporting to have come from officials of the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Finance.
“If the people who sent this thing here do not know that it is signed, what else don’t you know about this deal?” he pressed.
Presidential signature missing
A key highlight of the hearing was Dillon’s revelation that the version of the contract submitted to the Senate did not bear the signature of the President of Liberia—an essential legal requirement for such international agreements.
Yet, government representatives insisted that the President signed their version.
“Which one did the President sign before you?” he quipped. “Because he did not sign the one before us.”
Officials later admitted that the signature pages were left out and would be “submitted later,” prompting Dillon to question the credibility of the entire process.
Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe, chair of the Joint Committee, confirmed inconsistencies across copies of the agreement, admitting that some versions he possessed were fully signed while others were not. He described this as “negligence coming straight from the court.”
“Where is this company?”
Another major point brought to the fore, showing Dillon’s toughness, came when he interrogated the Government of Liberia’s representatives about the legitimacy, location, and operational history of Oranto Petroleum Liberia Limited.
Despite Oranto being proposed as a major petroleum partner, neither the Ministry of Justice nor NOCAL could state where the company’s headquarters is located.
“How can the government of Liberia deal with an entity, and nobody here knows where their headquarters is?” Dillon asked.
After back-and-forth exchanges, LPRC officials finally disclosed that Oranto’s address was listed as 19th Street, Sinkor, and that the company was registered in 2008, with renewals recorded in 2011 and as recently as September 2025.
Dillon then requested annual business registration records from 2008 to 2025 to confirm the company’s legitimacy and continuity.
The Montserrado lawmaker further dissected the technical aspects of the contract, particularly provisions that allow a contractor to transfer or mortgage rights under the agreement.
“How do you sell what you do not own? We are not selling our oil blocks; we are leasing them,” Dillon argued, calling Article 26 a prohibitive clause designed to prevent unilateral transfer of Liberia’s natural resource interests.
He sharply questioned how Liberia could accept a 15% compensation on any transfer or sublease, asking: “What informed that percentage? Why not 20%? Why not 40%? Why 15%?”
Government lawyers responded also feebly , describing it merely as “industry practice.”
Security guarantee missing
Dillon also demanded to know parent company’s documents.
Pointing to Article 33 of the agreement, the senator queried whether the required security guarantee from Oranto’s parent company was reviewed, certified, and submitted with the contract.
Officials admitted it was not submitted to the Senate.
“Did you submit the parent company guarantee when submitting the contract for our review?” Dillon pressed.
“No, we didn’t,” they responded.
Senator Dillon announced he would formally request a second public hearing to address the missing presidential signatures, inconsistencies in the agreement, and gaps in basic information about Oranto Petroleum.
“This is a public hearing, and the public must know. We cannot rush this. We must ensure the contract is properly signed, approved, and clarified before proceeding,” he said.
Senator Dillon outlined essential conditions he insists must be addressed before the Legislature can consider approving the Oranto Oil deal and they include full disclosure of all beneficial ownership and corporate structures linked to Oranto Oil, verification of the company’s technical and financial capacity to operate Liberia’s offshore blocks, and clear and enforceable local content provisions ensuring Liberian participation and job opportunities.
Others are transparent revenue-sharing mechanisms aligned with national development priorities and robust environmental and community impact safeguards consistent with global standards.
He stressed that the public hearing was not a mere formality but a mandatory process to ensure the country is not short-changed.
Senator Dillon made it clear that his position is driven by principle rather than political alignment. He pledged to support the agreement only if it withstands full legislative scrutiny.
“Liberia deserves deals that uplift, not exploit us,” he declared. “If this agreement proves to be in the best interest of our nation after full scrutiny, I will support it. If it does not, I will oppose it without hesitation.
Snowe’s Intervention
For his part, Senator Edwin Snowe, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Hydrocarbon and Energy, has criticized officials from the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA), and other sector institutions for appearing without copies of the very agreement under review.
Calling the hearing “a major one,” Senator Snowe expressed disbelief that none of the institutions responsible for negotiating and managing the petroleum sector had brought even a single page of the agreement for lawmakers to scrutinize.
“You have come here with your teams, your staff, and the galleries filled with people who expect transparency and clarity,” Snowe said. “Yet, not a single one of you has brought even half an inch of the Oranto Oil and Gas agreement for this Committee to review. This is unacceptable.”
Snowe reminded the institutions whose mandates include reviewing, negotiating, and overseeing petroleum agreements that they fully understand what the Senate requires to conduct oversight. He said their unpreparedness was not only disappointing but undermining to the legislative process.
“You know the weight of this hearing,” he stressed. “Still, you proceeded unprepared. That is precisely why you are here as a team because this is serious business, and the Liberian people deserve seriousness.”
The Senator revealed that he had engaged some of the officials before the hearing and received assurances that they were prepared. Their failure to bring the documents, he said, undermined the Committee’s ability to question critical provisions of the agreement.
Despite frustrations, Snowe said the Committee would proceed only as far as the available information allowed. He made clear, however, that the institutions would be recalled—and that full compliance and documentation would be mandatory.
The Oranto Oil & Gas agreement remains under scrutiny as lawmakers seek to determine whether it meets national interests and statutory requirements.