The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked prosecution in the US$500,000 Saudi Rice Case, issuing a writ of prohibition that suspends criminal proceedings days before a trial was due to begin.
Her Honor Justice Jamesetta Howard Wolokollie granted the writ in response to a petition filed by co-defendant Thelma Duncan Sawyer and her legal team.
Sawyer, the wife of a wartime interim president [Dr. Amos Sawyer] is among several accused in the case, which alleges misappropriation of rice donated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for disaster victims in Liberia.
The writ effectively pauses all activity related to the trial that had been scheduled to open on Friday, November 14, 2025, at the Criminal Court. Proceedings will remain suspended pending a Supreme Court conference set for December 2, 2025.
The Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce (AREPT), which leads the government’s efforts to recover allegedly stolen public assets, expressed disappointment at the development.
AREPT said it had completed all trial preparations, including securing witnesses and compiling evidentiary materials, and noted the writ has temporarily blocked those plans.
In a public statement, AREPT pledged to continue pursuing the case once legal barriers are cleared. “The Saudi Rice Case—and other corruption-related prosecutions will resume once legal barriers are resolved,” the Taskforce said, stressing its commitment to justice, transparency and accountability.
The Taskforce also said investigations remain ongoing into other current and former public officials suspected of theft of public property and unexplained accumulation of assets.
the writ of prohibition is a common constitutional remedy used to halt lower-court actions pending review by a higher court. The Supreme Court conference on December 2 will likely determine whether the trial can proceed or must be delayed further while the high court considers the petitioner’s claims.
Defense lawyers argued in their petition that certain legal errors or procedural issues warranted immediate intervention by the Supreme Court.
Prosecutors for AREPT have not yet publicly outlined their response to the writ, but the Taskforce’s statement indicates it will continue to press its case within the bounds of the judicial process.
