Labor Minister Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah Sr. has personally granted a six-month waiver of work permits to 42 Chinese nationals, bypassing established legal procedures and official labor records, as revealed in documents obtained by The Liberian Investigator.

Labor Minister Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah Sr. has personally granted a six-month waiver of work permits to 42 Chinese nationals, bypassing established legal procedures and official labor records, as revealed in documents obtained by The Liberian Investigator.

The waiver, dated May 12, 2025, was issued in direct response to a request from Bangli PTE LTD—a subcontractor for China Union operating in Bong Mines, Fuamah District. Minister Kruah authorized the Chinese technicians to work in Liberia from May 13 to November 13, 2025, without issuing official work permits or referencing any of the legal requirements under the country’s Decent Work Act.

The letter, bearing Minister Kruah’s signature and the Ministry’s official seal, makes no mention of payment procedures, job descriptions, or vetting processes—raising concerns about revenue loss, transparency, and potential violations of Liberian labor law. Notably, the waiver was not included in the Ministry’s official 2024 work permit report submitted to the Liberian Senate earlier this month, which detailed 10,117 permit renewals and issuances.

The company’s letter to the Minister, also dated May 12, describes the Chinese workers as experienced technicians vital to ongoing construction at the Bong Mines site. Bangli asked the Minister to “grant temporary work permits” for the team of 42 individuals. However, no such category exists under Liberian law, and there is no indication in the waiver letter that due process—including public advertisement of vacancies or labor market testing—was followed.

Labor Ministry sources, who spoke to The Liberian Investigator on condition of anonymity, allege that Bangli paid over US$800 per worker directly to the Minister or his intermediaries—payments that reportedly did not pass through government revenue channels. While The Liberian Investigator has not independently confirmed these payments, the complete absence of payment instructions or official receipts in the waiver documentation adds to the suspicions.

Work permit waiver

The controversy comes amid growing scrutiny of Minister Kruah’s handling of foreign work permits. On May 21, Kruah appeared before the Liberian Senate to explain why the Ministry had issued more than 8,000 permits without providing job descriptions or demonstrating compliance with labor regulations. Lawmakers accused the Minister of undermining employment opportunities for Liberians and failing to enforce Sections 3 and 6 of Revised Regulation No. 17 (2019), which prohibit granting permits to non-African nationals for informal jobs and require public advertisement of vacancies.

During that session, Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon warned that the Ministry’s opaque practices could lead to contempt proceedings. “We are training Liberians through vocational programs, yet the very jobs they’re trained for are being handed to foreign nationals without transparency,” he said.

In response, Minister Kruah pledged to gather and submit a comprehensive report detailing all job titles, descriptions, and nationalities of foreign workers with permits issued under his tenure. On June 3, he presented that report, claiming 7,633 of the 10,117 permits were renewals for workers already in Liberia before he assumed office. He also blamed the lack of job data on limitations within the Liberia Revenue Authority’s permit system, which he said does not allow for entry of job categories.