Yekepa, Nimba County – An investigation has unveiled details of how Nimba County Superintendent Kou Meapeh Gono and District #8 Representative Saye Sylvester Mianah are instructing the illegal removal of scrap assets belonging to ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML).
By: Wremongar Joe & Franklin Doloquee, contributing writers
The scrap was gathered as a result of ongoing work on the railway, involving the repair of a damaged bridge and replacing old wooden ties with new steel sleepers as part of the company’s phase two expansion project to beef up the rail’s capacity.
ArcelorMittal intends to donate the scrap to communities in an orderly manner, where 30% of sales would go to the county authority, while 70% would go to the communities. Contrary to this agreement, our investigation finds that ArcelorMittal has had to stop many attempts by individuals, seemingly acting on instructions from local county leaders in Bong and Nimba, to remove the scrap assets illegally ahead of the formal handover.
Community members in Nimba have pointed accusing fingers at Superintendent Kou Meapeh Gono and District 8 Representative Saye Sylvester Mianah, claiming they are behind the unauthorized removal of the scrap. These communities fear that without proper controls, and with instructions from top county leaders, they are not assured of fair development dividends.
Our reporter confirmed that at least one truckload of scrap was taken from Duo Town in Lao Clan, District Number 8, Nimba County, under the instruction of county leadership.
Nimba County Superintendent’s Response
We put these accusations to Nimba County Superintendent Kou Meapeh Gono, who dismissed them as “misinformation” from detractors. She admitted that scrap had been removed from District #8 but asserted that the scrap in the county belongs to the county. Even if the scrap is waived by ArcelorMittal, it should come to the county.
“They have scraps that Mittal was giving, and they have scraps in non-concessional areas closer to the Mittal belt,” she said, adding that the county went through a PPCC process, and a “qualified vendor took scraps from the non-concession area, and the proceeds will be for the community.”
When asked to specify which area she referred to as a non-concessional area, the Superintendent failed to name any town, village, or specific area in Nimba but replied: “outside of ArcelorMittal’s concessional area.”
The reporter pressed further: “So, you mean no scraps have been removed from along the rail or in the affected communities?” The Superintendent replied, “From the non-concessional areas, they had piles. The community was met along with their lawmaker…and what was bided for, I think a truck of it went. The county hasn’t received a dime. The weighing of it and everything was done with the committee and the community.”
Our investigation found evidence of efforts by Superintendent Gono to have the scrap turned over to county authorities instead of the communities. She wrote at least three letters requesting the turnover of AML scrap to the county leadership.
We also found a memo dated July 3, 2024 in which Superintendent Gono wrote to state security actors in Nimba, introducing “Abraham Konneh Business Center,” a licensed scrap dealer, as having been authorized by the Nimba County Administration to cut and purchase old scrap materials from Mount Tokadeh within ArcelorMittal Liberia’s concession area in Yekepa, Nimba County, despite her claims that the scrap was removed from non-concessional areas.
In the letter, she requests all state security and local authorities to provide necessary protection and support to Abraham Konneh Business Center as they transport the scrap materials from Tokadeh Mine to Monrovia. The document also serves as an “official pass” to access AML operational sites where the scrap is located.
Nimba Lawmaker Admits to Supervising Scrap Removal
Saye Sylvester Mianah, the Representative of Nimba District #8, confirmed to our investigation that iron scrap had been removed from the district under his supervision.
The lawmaker said, “The man who is buying the scraps and the community people under my supervision are in Monrovia now with the little one they had the last time. They are in Monrovia now as I speak with you.”
Rep. Mianah said three persons designated by the district are spearheading the sale of the scrap under his direct supervision, adding, “So other people that will go on the radio and say they don’t know, me I know.”
He told the reporter that it was his job to supervise the sale of the scrap and ensure the money goes into the community’s account.
AML Agreement with Communities
We also obtained a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) ArcelorMittal signed with the communities in November 2023. In this MOU, the company committed to donating scrap assets to communities on an “as is and where is” basis, stipulating that the company will not bear any costs for identifying, removing, handling, or transferring these assets.
Under the MOU, ArcelorMittal agreed to find suitable buyers for the scrap and donate the sale proceeds to fund development projects chosen by the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries were to appoint two representatives to work with ArcelorMittal in identifying and overseeing the sale, handling, and removal of scrap assets, while all activities must comply with ArcelorMittal’s health, safety, and environmental standards. The company agreed with the community that only a single vendor would collect all the scraps for sale.
ArcelorMittal Liberia, the owner of the scraps, insists that people living in the communities where it is generated must be the ones to benefit, not the entire county, as has been done in the past.
The company appears frustrated that the scrap intended for donation to communities hosting its operations is being cut and taken away on the instruction of Nimba county authorities, outside of the agreed conditions and without any authorization to set any PPCC process for a vendor.
AML Protests Illegal Cutting, Removal, and Sale of Scrap on Orders of Nimba County Authorities
Meanwhile, three letters obtained from sources in Nimba County leadership show ArcelorMittal Liberia strongly protesting the illegal sale of the scrap it intended to donate to the communities in line with the agreed guidelines.
In letters dated July 31, 2024, sent to the Superintendents of Nimba, Bong, and Grand Bassa counties, ArcelorMittal Liberia CEO Michiel Frederick Van Der Merwe requested county leaders issue a stop order to individuals, scrap dealers, and community residents involved in the cutting, removal, and attempt to transport scrap assets along the rails and in “our concession area.”
He stated that those involved claim to be acting with the consent of some local authorities.
The CEO expressed concern that the process for donating scrap assets listed in the donation letter is not being adhered to by some stakeholders in the beneficiary counties.
“On at least three occasions, our security has had to stop people in trucks, who claimed to be authorized by county authorities, from removing scrap assets along the railroad and other areas in the concession area,” the letter added.
The company stated that the illegal removal of scrap is creating a “rift” in its stakeholder relations and is likely to undermine the intent of the donation and the memorandum of understanding between AML and the communities.
The company requested all parties halt the cutting and removal of scrap assets and adhere to the agreed process for donating, handling, and disposing of scrap assets, noting that the process of donating scrap assets is on hold pending a full review and alignment with stakeholders on the donation process.
AML has promised to hold discussions with county authorities, beneficiary communities, and others to agree on the donation process.
We also spoke with sources in Bong County who confirmed that similar communication was sent to the Superintendent of Bong County.
ArcelorMittal Liberia is working on refurbishing the 250-kilometer railway between Buchanan and Yekepa, but the effort is frequently hindered by illegal scrap dealers who persistently steal metal plates and pins that secure the rails to the old wooden sleepers, which are now obsolete and being replaced.
History of Massive Corruption of Proceeds from Scraps Donated by ArcelorMittal
Successive Nimba county leaderships have repeatedly been involved in scrap controversies.
In Ganta, citizens expressed concerns following reports of a directive from former Justice Minister Frederick Doe Cherue, dated July 28, 2017, instructing then-Superintendent D. Dorr Cooper to permit Sethi Brothers Incorporated to sell a contentious amount of scrap metal owned by the county.
The scrap, left behind by LAMCO, was handed over to Nimba by ArcelorMittal and initially bid on by two Ghana-based companies, North Star Link and Western Steel. Despite Western Steel winning the bids, the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC) called for a rebid due to complaints from North Star about irregularities, ultimately allowing North Star to sell the scrap.
Later, allegations surfaced suggesting Sethi Brothers was inserted into the process, causing citizens to express concerns about potential improprieties—a situation brought to light by Teeko Yorlay, former Nimba County assistant superintendent for development.
Yorlay accused Superintendent Cooper of potentially compromising the county’s interests and suggested that bribery might be involved.
In 2020, Nimba’s Superintendent Nelson Korquoi called for an audit of past and present leaders of the county after he was linked to several dubious deals, including the illegal sale of the county’s scrap metals, the sale of a pickup truck belonging to the county’s project management committee, and the misappropriation of L$500,000 (US$2,512) given to Nimba by the Ministry of Youth and Sports as Nimba’s share of the proceeds from the National County Sports Meet.
An audit report by the General Auditing Commission (GAC) also found several irregularities in the sale of US$400,000 worth of scrap iron in Grand Bassa County between June 2014 and July 2016, during the tenure of Superintendent Etweda A. Cooper.
At that time, Senator Gbehzongar Findley wrote to President Sirleaf requesting the sale of scrap materials left behind by the defunct steel company LAMCO within the ArcelorMittal concession area in the port city of Buchanan. The President consented and ordered that the proceeds be used to support education initiatives in the county.
“US$89,203.00 generated from the sale of scrap metals to African Business Import & Export and Varney Scrap Group/North Star was not reflected in the county’s accounting records. This amount represents a variance between deposits per LBDI bank statements and the county accounting records,” the GAC report disclosed.
The report also found that “The Grand Bassa County Administration expended US$92,932.75 generated from the sale of scrap on expenditure items other than the expenditure stated in Section 3.4 of the MOU between the County Administration and ArcelorMittal.”
