By: Trokon Wrepue – trokon1992seokin@gmail.com
Capitol Hill – On Monday, the Liberian Senate halted its public inquiry into the Ivanhoe Atlantic Inc. (HPX) concession after Finance Minister Augustine Ngafuan and Justice Minister Oswald Tweh failed to appear, despite mounting public pressure for clarity on the controversial deal.
The hearing, organized by the Senate Joint Committee on Transport, Lands and Natural Resources, and Concessions, was expected to scrutinize the Concession and Access Agreement signed between Liberia and Ivanhoe Liberia, a subsidiary operating within the HPX and SMFG framework.
Committee chair Senator Saah H. Joseph announced the postponement to next Thursday following a brief closed-door meeting lasting less than ten minutes.
Although both ministers sent representatives — an Assistant Minister for Revenue from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Justice, Cllr. Charles D. F. Karmo — lawmakers ruled that the hearing could not proceed without the direct presence of the officials who signed the agreement.
Several senior officials did appear, including National Investment Commission Chairman Jeff Billbo, Liberia Revenue Authority Commissioner General Dorbor Jallah, and Transport Minister Sirleaf Tyler. However, their presence did not satisfy senators, who said only the Justice and Finance Ministers could explain how the agreement was reached.
Nimba County Senator Samuel Kogar was the first to object, questioning why the Finance Minister failed to formally communicate his absence. He also expressed concern that Justice Minister Oswald Tweh has repeatedly avoided legislative scrutiny over the Ivanhoe deal, even though he is one of its principal signatories.
Senator Kogar said proceeding without the two ministers would undermine the integrity of the Senate’s oversight responsibilities.
At the center of the inquiry is whether Liberia complied with the Implementation Agreement signed between Liberia and Guinea, the governing instrument for all cross-border rail and port access.
The Implementation Agreement was intended to guide every decision related to Guinean mineral transport through Liberia.
It outlined clear procedures requiring a two-step approval process: a Request for Eligibility, vetted by Guinea, and a Request for Access submitted to Liberia for review by a joint Monitoring Committee and final endorsement by Liberia’s Inter-Ministerial Committee.
The agreement also established the committees responsible for preventing unilateral action by either country and instructed the Technical Secretariat to prepare a standard access agreement template to ensure uniform treatment of all operators.
However, no public record shows that these procedures were followed before the signing of the Ivanhoe Concession and Access Agreement.
This absence of documentation has intensified scrutiny around the Minister of Justice, who, as the government’s chief legal adviser, is responsible for ensuring that Liberia meets its obligations under international agreements.
His presence was considered essential for clarifying what legal steps were taken, yet he has skipped multiple hearings.
Last week, the Ministry of Justice sent Deputy Minister Charles D. F. Karmo II to represent the ministry at a House Joint Committee hearing, but lawmakers again expressed dissatisfaction.
During the same week of hearings, Deputy Minister Gabriel Salee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed that the Foreign Ministry had no knowledge of the Ivanhoe negotiations and did not participate in discussions leading to the agreement.
His statement surprised many legislators because cross-border concessions typically require diplomatic coordination.
Additionally, members of the House Committee said they were surprised to learn that the Government of Guinea has not yet been formally informed about the Ivanhoe agreement and has not expressed any position on it, even though the deal hinges on transporting Guinean ore through Liberian infrastructure.
With both legislative chambers now engaged, pressure is mounting on the Executive Branch to explain whether Liberia respected the Implementation Agreement with Guinea.
