Published: June 3, 2026
MONROVIA – Liberia’s Senate has launched a formal investigation into concession agreements at the Freeport of Monrovia after a senior lawmaker accused a foreign port services company of siphoning revenues collected in Liberia to Dubai, warning that mounting business frustration over rising port costs could spill into street protests.
The investigation, approved unanimously by the Senate Plenary on Tuesday, targets agreements involving MedTech Scientific Limited, Cargo Tracking Note, and APM Terminals. Seven institutions have been summoned to appear before the Committee of the Whole on June 10.
The push came from Montserrado County Sen. Saah H. Joseph, chairman of the Senate Committee on Transport, who told lawmakers that MedTech has collected significant revenues from port operations for years with little demonstrable benefit to Liberia’s economy or national budget.
“Funds collected by MedTech are being transferred to Dubai and spent on personal luxuries, including restaurants and hotels, rather than being integrated into the national budget,” Joseph alleged on the Senate floor.
He further charged that MedTech’s document-processing procedures take approximately five days, the same window importers are allowed to clear containers without incurring storage charges, effectively making additional costs unavoidable for businesses. Marketers and importers, he warned, are preparing to take their frustrations to the streets.
“Marketers and business owners are reportedly planning street protests because they are tired and no longer want MedTech involved in port operations,” he said.
Joseph also expressed frustration that previous investigations and audit reports flagging financial irregularities had produced no meaningful action. “Reports have been submitted, concerns have been raised, but nothing has been done,” he said.
The debate quickly widened as other senators piled on with their own concerns about the structure of port concession agreements.
Lofa County Sen. Momo T. Cyrus questioned the authority under which current revenue-sharing arrangements were negotiated, arguing that the Legislature may have been bypassed in decisions directly affecting national revenues. He alleged that MedTech receives a disproportionately large share of generated revenues while the government takes significantly less, and demanded to know who in the executive branch authorized those terms without legislative input.
Gbarpolu County Sen. Amara M. Konneh, who also chairs the Senate’s petroleum oversight push, said excessive port fees continue to drive up the cost of living for ordinary Liberians and called for the formal renegotiation of agreements involving APM Terminals and other entities contributing to the burden.
“The Legislature can identify these issues, but the Executive Branch must take the final action because of the separation of powers,” Konneh said.
Tuesday’s Senate action builds on a 2024 investigation that had already raised serious legal questions about MedTech’s operations. In a report submitted to the Senate in September of that year, an ad hoc committee said it found no evidence that the Liberia Revenue Authority formally requested the procurement process that led to MedTech’s selection. Investigators also could not establish whether the company held a required Public-Private Partnership concession certificate, casting doubt on the legal foundation of its operations.
The 2024 report went further, alleging that MedTech misrepresented its operational experience during the bidding process by referencing facilities and technical expertise belonging to another company, BIVAC. Investigators also found that the contract exceeded the $10 million threshold requiring legislative ratification and included tax exemptions that should have received legislative approval, but found no evidence that such approval was ever sought or obtained. MedTech also failed to provide detailed financial reports, and there was no evidence of payments being deposited into a designated government transitory account as required under the agreement.
Despite those findings, no corrective action followed, a failure of accountability that senators cited Tuesday as justification for renewed scrutiny.
The seven institutions summoned for the June 10 hearing are the National Port Authority, the National Bureau of Concessions, APM Terminals, the Liberia Revenue Authority, the Ministry of Justice, MedTech Scientific Limited and Cargo Tracking Note. The Senate said the inquiry will examine the actual benefits Liberia derives from the agreements, whether functions are being duplicated among agencies and concessionaires, complaints regarding excessive fees and operational bottlenecks, and whether agreements above certain financial thresholds should require legislative ratification.
Joseph said the stakes could not be higher for ordinary Liberians who depend on affordable goods moving through the port.
“The constraints affecting Liberians and port users are increasing by the day. Any revised arrangement must reflect the interests and benefit of the Liberian people,” he said.
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