Former Monrovia Mayor Jefferson Koijee accuses the ruling Unity Party Alliance of using the state-owned Liberia Petroleum Refining Company to enrich party loyalists and shortchange the Liberian people, alleging a scheme that mixes new taxes on fuel with opaque import contracts.
LPRC has imposed multiple taxes, “totaling seven,” on petroleum products that are hitting both consumers and importers.
Koijee who serves as Secretary General of the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change said the refinery has been importing petroleum under “unclear terms” and outside established procurement rules.
LPRC has denied those claims. The company said it is importing petroleum products to improve supply stability and gain more control over pricing, a major shift from the previous private import model.
“This is not just mismanagement, it is a deliberate criminal conspiracy designed to rob our nation of hundreds of millions,” Koijee said.
He accused Unity Party Secretary General Amos Tweh, currently serves as Managing Director of the LPRC, of bypassing required competitive tendering and other procurement safeguards.
Koijee pointed to the Amended and Restated Public Procurement and Concessions Act and demanded answers about the procurement process.
Among the questions he urged authorities to investigate were:
Whether the petroleum import contract, which he said is “valued in the hundreds of millions,” underwent the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) process; The annual value and duration of the contract; Which firm was selected to benefit from the deal and on what terms; and Whether a PPCC “no objection” was obtained where required by law.
He framed the accusations as part of a broader effort by what he called a “Unity Party cartel” to use fuel revenues as a “private bank,” enriching a narrow circle while ordinary Liberians struggle to afford basic goods and fuel.
Koijee also warned that such funds could be used to influence the 2029 elections, a claim he presented as a motive for silencing accountability.
Koijee called on Liberians to demand transparency, investigate the LPRC’s contracts and tax measures, and resist what he described as “organized economic gangsterism.”
Koijee urged regulatory and anti-corruption bodies to move swiftly to examine the contracts, disclose their terms and ensure that any public procurement involving state funds complies with the law.
The Liberian government, through the LRA and LPRC, has been implementing and suspending petroleum surcharges to manage pricing and revenue.
A $0.20 surcharge was suspended in March 2024 to reduce costs for the public but was reinstated in May 2025 due to reduced Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding to stabilize government revenue and ensure continued investment in essential services.
– Festus Poquie
