14/09/2025
Mining Agents Accuse Senior Mines Ministry Officials of Corruption, Call on President Boakai to Intervene.
Monrovia, Liberia –Sept 15, 2025 A group of concerned mining agents within the Ministry of Mines and Energy has written President Joseph N. Boakai, Sr., raising alarm over what they describe as rampant corruption and abuse of office by senior officials of the ministry.
In two separate letters dated August 8, the agents accused the Director of Mines, Alwell Aloysius Carr, the Assistant Minister for Mines, Carlos Tingban Edison, and the Deputy Minister for Operations, Williams S. Hines, of turning the ministry into what they called a tax collection center for personal enrichment, while undermining Liberia’s resource management and national development goals.
According to the mining agents, Director Carr allegedly received large sums of money from Chinese miners involved in illegal mining. They claimed that in June this year, Carr received USD $5,000 from a Chinese miner named Williams in Bentol City, Montserrado County, and later in July, another USD $15,000 from Chinese nationals engaged in mining in Yargue Mining District, Grand Cape Mount County. The money was reportedly delivered through mining agent Isaac Scott.
The agents further alleged that Assistant Minister Carlos Tingban Edison has converted the department into a family-controlled empire, assigning relatives to mining districts to collect illegal fees. They specifically named his brother, Robert Y. Paye, as one of the beneficiaries, allegedly operating in Sinoe County. They also accused Edison of enriching himself by maintaining multiple businesses, including real estate and a beauty salon run by his wife, funded by money collected from miners.
Similarly, Deputy Minister Williams S. Hines is accused of using his office staff to collect money from mining agents and operators. The letters allege that Hines sends his driver and associates identified as Samuel T. K. Wilson, Levi Sendolo, and Pape Paybayee to collect huge sums from Chinese companies, which are then taken to his residence along Robertsfield Highway.
The concerned agents say these actions amount to “a blatant misuse of power and a gross violation of the trust that the citizens of Liberia have placed in their leaders. They warned that such practices tarnish the reputation of the ministry, encourage further corruption, and undermine Liberia’s ability to attract foreign investment.
We cannot be sleeping in bushes, walking hours, riding motorbikes for 3–4 hours making sure that miners take licenses, and we have a few ministers enriching themselves, the letter reads. We are afraid to come out to the public to speak because we are going to be targeted. It’s now time you change the entire leadership at the Ministry of Mines and Energy because we didn’t vote for these kinds of wicked behaviors.”
The mining agents called on President Boakai to take immediate action to address the allegations. They requested a thorough investigation into the ministry’s operations and demanded that those found guilty of corrupt practices be held accountable.
The people of Liberia deserve a mining sector that operates with integrity, transparency, and respect for the law,” they wrote. We urge you to stand with us in fighting against corruption and restoring the public’s faith in our leadership.
