WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States has removed the late Liberian senator and former rebel commander Prince Yormie Johnson from its Specially Designated Nationals sanctions list, more than a year after his death, BCTV-FM Radio reports.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, OFAC, listed Johnson and his aliases among names deleted from the sanctions register on May 28, 2026, under the Global Magnitsky program.
On the same date, Treasury announced the removal of 76 “outdated targets,” including deceased individuals and persons linked to networks no longer operating.
Treasury did not publish a separate explanation stating Johnson’s death was the sole reason for his removal.
Johnson died on Thursday, November 28, 2024, at the age of 72, at a hospital in Paynesville, outside Monrovia.
Public reporting reviewed for this story does not state an official clock time for his death.
He represented Nimba County in the Liberian Senate after building strong political support in a region where many supporters regarded him as a defender during the war years.
The United States imposed sanctions on Johnson on December 9, 2021, under Executive Order 13818, which implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
The designation was based on U.S. corruption allegations, rather than a criminal conviction for civil-war atrocities.
At the time, Treasury alleged Johnson used his position as senator in pay-for-play arrangements involving government ministries and organizations for personal enrichment.
Treasury alleged government funds were partly returned to participants in the scheme, involving millions of United States dollars. It also alleged Johnson received an undeserved salary as a government intelligence source without providing intelligence reports and offered political support or electoral votes in exchange for money.
Treasury also placed Johnson’s wartime record in its designation notice.
It described him as a former warlord responsible for the 1990 murder of former President Samuel Kanyon Doe and noted his identification in Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission report for atrocities during the first civil war.
Johnson emerged as one of the most feared commanders during Liberia’s first civil war. In 1990, forces under his control captured President Doe in Monrovia.
Doe was tortured on video and later killed, an episode which remains among the most infamous atrocities of Liberia’s conflict.
Liberia’s civil wars, fought from 1989 to 2003, killed an estimated 250,000 people and displaced more than one million others.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended Johnson and other wartime figures for prosecution. Johnson was never tried in Liberia before his death.
Johnson later transformed military influence into political power. He won election to the Senate and became a major political broker in Nimba County, backing presidential candidates whose national campaigns depended on support from the vote-rich county.
His removal from the U.S. sanctions list ends the financial restrictions attached to his OFAC designation.
It does not erase Treasury’s corruption findings or the documented allegations surrounding his wartime role.
His death also leaves unanswered questions for survivors and victims’ families seeking accountability through Liberia’s proposed war and economic crimes court.
LIBERIANS STILL ON THE U.S. SANCTIONS LIST
I have treated “Libyan” in the request as “Liberian.”
Following Johnson’s removal, five Liberian nationals remain listed by OFAC under the Global Magnitsky sanctions program, based on OFAC records updated on May 28, 2026.
- Harry Varney Gboto-Nambi Sherman
Sherman, a Liberian senator and lawyer, was designated in December 2020. Treasury accused him of bribing judges and facilitating payments to politicians linked to a disputed mining concession and a US$950,000 bribery scheme.
- Sayma Syrenius Cephus
Cephus, Liberia’s former Solicitor General, was designated in August 2022 for alleged involvement in ongoing public corruption. He remains listed under the Global Magnitsky program.
- Nathaniel McGill
McGill, Liberia’s former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, was designated in August 2022 for alleged involvement in public corruption. He remains listed under the Global Magnitsky program.
- Bill Twehway
Twehway, former Managing Director of the National Port Authority, was designated in August 2022 for alleged involvement in public corruption. He remains listed under the Global Magnitsky program.
- Jefferson Tamba Koijee
Koijee, former Monrovia mayor and senior political official, was designated in December 2023. Treasury accused him of corruption and serious human rights abuse, including alleged support for violent disruption of political opponents and pressure against anti-corruption investigations.
This list covers Liberian nationals verified on OFAC’s updated SDN list under the Global Magnitsky program. It excludes vessels flying Liberia’s flag, foreign nationals born in Liberia, and foreign entities whose names reference Liberia.
