Court Rejects Bid To Dismiss US$851K Theft Case Against MDMC Executives

MONROVIA, Liberia: Criminal Court “C” has ruled in favor of Liberia’s Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce, denying a motion filed by MDMC executives John Youboty and Joseph Goodridge seeking to dismiss criminal charges against them in an alleged US$851,136.18 theft case.

The case is linked to the Saudi-funded US$2 million renovation project at Liberia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where prosecutors allege that portions of the project funds were illegally diverted.

The defendants are facing charges including Theft of Property and Criminal Facilitation as investigators continue probing the handling and disbursement of funds connected to the renovation project.

During proceedings, the defense team argued for the dismissal of the indictment, but the court ruled that the case should proceed.

Following the ruling, the defense formally accepted the court’s decision and noted exceptions, a legal move that preserves their right to challenge the ruling through further judicial review.

The case has attracted significant public attention amid the Liberian government’s ongoing anti-corruption and asset recovery efforts targeting alleged financial misconduct involving public and donor-funded projects.

More details are expected as court proceedings continue.