Criminal Court ‘C’ Judge A. Blamo Dixon on Monday convicted nine suspended security officers of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) for orchestrating a sophisticated petroleum theft scheme that cost the company nearly one million U.S. dollars.
The convicted individuals, Andrew P. Nimely, Kingston S. Sneh, Emmanuel G. Garway, Robert S. Alfred, Alphanso Sackie, Beyan A. Cooper, John Kolubah, Peter Z. Tayn, and William V. Gray, were all members of LPRC’s Security Department. They were found guilty of theft of property and criminal conspiracy following months of legal proceedings.
According to court records, between September 2023 and January 2024, the defendants conspired to illegally extract 193,659 gallons of petroleum products, gas oil, gasoline, and jet A-1 fuel, from the jetty pipeline. The theft not only severely disrupted LPRC’s Product Storage Terminal (PST) operations but also impacted the fuel supplies of key partners including Srimex-China Union and Connex.
Judge Dixon ordered the nine convicts to collectively repay a staggering sum of US$941,895.11, in addition to paying a US$300 fine each to the Government of Liberia’s revenue. He further instructed the Ministry of Justice to conduct a pre-sentencing investigation to assess the criminal histories of the convicts before final sentencing.
The high-profile case originated from an internal probe in early 2024 when LPRC management, following suspicions of internal sabotage, suspended the nine officers and turned them over to the Ministry of Justice for prosecution. Investigators revealed that the accused had deliberately damaged sections of the company’s pipeline infrastructure to facilitate the siphoning of valuable petroleum products over a span of months.
Reacting to the court’s decision, LPRC management reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance on theft and corruption within the company. “These assets belong to the Liberian people,” a company statement read. “We entrust our employees with national resources, and any betrayal of that trust will be met with the full force of the law.”
The ruling is being hailed as a significant victory in Liberia’s ongoing efforts to tackle internal corruption, especially in key state-owned enterprises often plagued by accountability issues.
Pre-sentencing reports are expected in the coming weeks, after which Judge Dixon will hand down final penalties.
