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Draft:Harry A. Greaves Jr

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Harry A. Greaves Jr.
Born
Harry Augustus Greaves Jr.

(1949-12-15)15 December 1949
Liberia
Died31 January 2016(2016-01-31) (aged 66)
Monrovia, Liberia
CitizenshipLiberian
OccupationsPublic official, petroleum executive
Known forManaging Director, Liberia Petroleum Refining Company
SpousePrecious Andrews Greaves
ParentHarry Augustus Greaves Sr. · Mary Whorway Moore

Harry Augustus Greaves Jr. (15 December 1949 – 31 January 2016) was a Liberian public official and petroleum executive. In the late 1980s he led a fundraising effort for the Association for Constitutional Democracy in Liberia (ACDL), an opposition group active against the government of Samuel Doe.[1] After the 2005 election of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, he served as an economic adviser to the chairman of the National Transitional Government of Liberia and then as Managing Director of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) from 2006 until his dismissal in 2009.[2][3] His death in January 2016, and the disputed investigation that followed, attracted extensive national and international attention.[4]

Early life

[edit]

Greaves was born on 15 December 1949, the son of Harry Augustus Greaves Sr. and Mary Whorway Moore.[5]

Opposition politics

[edit]

During the 1980s, Greaves led a fundraising effort for the ACDL, an organization of Liberians that opposed Samuel Doe's government. According to a 2009 US Embassy cable summarizing President Sirleaf's testimony before Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Sirleaf said she had contributed to a $10,000 ACDL fundraiser "led by her friend Harry Greaves," and that she understood the money was intended as relief for people in territory held by Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL). The cable notes the US Embassy could not confirm whether the funds were in fact diverted for other purposes.[1]

National Transitional Government and LPRC

[edit]

Following the Second Liberian Civil War, Greaves served as an economic adviser to the chairman of the National Transitional Government of Liberia, stepping down to support Johnson Sirleaf's campaign in the 2005 general election.[3] After Sirleaf took office in January 2006, she appointed him Managing Director of the LPRC, the state-owned enterprise responsible for petroleum importation, refining, and distribution.[2][3]

During his tenure, Greaves negotiated a fuel supply arrangement with the Lebanese firm Zakhem Engineering and an agreement to import Nigerian crude oil for refining by Addax Petroleum.[2] He was dismissed by President Sirleaf in September 2009 following a government committee's investigation into these arrangements.[2][3]

Accounts of the dismissal differ. Some Liberian press coverage from the period describes Greaves as having been accused of soliciting kickbacks in connection with LPRC contracts.[6] A 2020 report in The Independent, examining a separate corruption scandal, linked a leaked recording of a $300,000 payment involving former government official Morris Saytumah to the earlier Zakhem contract dispute at LPRC.[7] Greaves disputed allegations of wrongdoing; the precise sequence of who accused whom is not settled in available public reporting.

After leaving government, Greaves became a frequent public commentator on Liberian economic and governance issues, including electricity policy, spending by the National Oil Company of Liberia, and the proposed establishment of a war crimes court for Liberia.[8]

Death

[edit]

Disappearance and discovery

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Greaves was reported missing on the night of 29 January 2016 from the RLJ Kendeja Resort outside Monrovia.[9] His body was found on the morning of 31 January 2016 on a beach behind the fence of the old Ministry of Foreign Affairs compound near the Executive Mansion in Monrovia.[10] His wife, Precious Andrews Greaves, identified the body.[11] The Liberian government described the circumstances as suspicious.[10]

Autopsy dispute

[edit]

A provisional autopsy by Nebraska Forensics Institute pathologist Thomas Bennett found the cause of death to be asphyxiation by salt-water drowning, with no evidence of ante-mortem traumatic injury.[4] Justice Minister Benedict Sannoh called the initial findings inconclusive and announced a second autopsy.[10] A Nigerian pathologist was initially engaged, then Ivorian pathologists were brought in, but the government ultimately released Greaves' remains to his family without completing a further examination.[12] His widow publicly criticized the government's handling of the case as unprofessional.[13]

Political reaction and funeral

[edit]

The death prompted public concern about security in Liberia; Congress for Democratic Change chairman Nathaniel McGill said the case made him fear for his own safety, and Bong County Senator Jewel Howard-Taylor called it "terrifying and worrisome."[9] President Sirleaf denied accusations that her government was targeting critics.[14] Greaves was buried on 10 March 2016 at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Camp Johnson Road, Monrovia.[15][5]

Investigation outcome

[edit]

United States investigators assisted with the inquiry at the Liberian government's request.[4] In August 2016, they concluded the death was accidental drowning and found no evidence of foul play.[16]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Cablegate: Liberia: President Sirleaf Testifies at TRC". Scoop / Wikileaks, citing US Embassy Monrovia cable 09MONROVIA125. 13 February 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Mr Harry Greaves | Who's Who Profile". Africa Confidential. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Harry Greaves found dead on beach". The New Dawn Liberia. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Liberia Seeks US Help to Investigate Death of Prominent Citizen". Voice of America. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Harry Augustus Greaves Jr". TLC Africa. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  6. ↑ "A Tribute to Daniel "DJ" Johnson: A Man of the People". The Perspective. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  7. ↑ "As America Sanctions Corruption Actors: 'Big Boys' Criminal Files Revisited... After Sherman, Who's Next?". The Independent. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  8. ↑ "Liberia: Harry Greaves Discovered Dead On a Beach in Monrovia". AllAfrica. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  9. 1 2 "CDC Expresses Fears". The New Dawn Liberia. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 "Suspicious deaths!". The New Dawn Liberia. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  11. ↑ "Liberia: What Killed Harry Greaves?". AllAfrica. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "Family Announces Funeral Plans for Liberia's Greaves". AllAfrica. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  13. ↑ "GOL, family tussle over Harry Greaves body?". The New Dawn Liberia. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  14. ↑ "'We're not witch-hunting' critics". The New Dawn Liberia. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  15. ↑ "Liberia: Harry Greaves Family Formally Announces Deceased Funeral". AllAfrica. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  16. ↑ "'No Foul Play': US Investigators Concur With Drowning Theory in Harry Greaves Death". FrontPageAfrica. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2026.

Category:1949 births Category:2016 deaths Category:Liberian businesspeople Category:Accidental deaths in Liberia Category:Deaths by drowning

Early government career

[edit]

Greaves served as Economic Advisor in the Office of Economic Affairs under National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) Chairman Gyude Bryant from 2003 to 2006, before stepping down to support Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's presidential candidacy.[1][2]

Managing Director of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company

[edit]

Following Sirleaf's election, Greaves was appointed Managing Director of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company, serving from 2006 to 2009.[1] In this role he oversaw a state enterprise central to Liberia's fuel supply, and negotiated agreements including a fuel supply arrangement with the Lebanese firm Zakhem Engineering and a deal to import crude oil from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation for refining by Addax Petroleum.[1][2] Both arrangements later became the subject of a government investigation, and Greaves was dismissed by President Sirleaf in September 2009 following the resulting committee report.[1][2] The dismissal, and his subsequent public defense of his tenure, were widely reported in the Liberian press at the time.[2]

Public commentary and advocacy

[edit]

For several years after leaving government, Greaves was among Liberia's most frequently quoted independent commentators on national economic and governance issues. He wrote and spoke publicly on the cost and management of electricity supply, alleged mismanagement of the Kuwaiti Oil Fund, spending practices at the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), and the long-running debate over establishing a war crimes court for Liberia.[3] His profile as an independent commentator and former senior civil servant was recognised by Africa Confidential, the London-based specialist publication on African politics, which maintained a Who's Who entry on him.[1]

Death

[edit]

Disappearance and discovery

[edit]

Greaves was reported to have gone missing on the night of Friday, 29 January 2016, from the RLJ Kendeja Resort, a hotel outside Monrovia off the Robertsfield Highway.[4] His body was discovered on the morning of Sunday, 31 January 2016, on a beach behind the fence of the old Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Planning Ministry compound near the Executive Mansion in Monrovia.[5][4] The Liberian government publicly described the circumstances of his death as suspicious.[5]

Autopsy dispute

[edit]

A provisional autopsy conducted by Nebraska Forensics Institute pathologist Thomas L. Bennett concluded that Greaves had died of asphyxiation by salt-water drowning, finding no evidence of ante-mortem traumatic injury; the report attributed cuts and other injuries on the body to postmortem contact with ocean rocks during prolonged immersion.[6][7] Justice Minister Benedict F. Sannoh described this initial autopsy as inconclusive as to the cause of death and announced plans for a second autopsy.[6][5]

The government initially arranged for Nigerian pathologist John Obatunwa to conduct the follow-up examination, though President Sirleaf instead called for a pathologist from the United States or United Kingdom, citing the sensitivity of the case.[5] A medical report from Monrovia's John F. Kennedy Medical Center, obtained and published by FrontPageAfrica, was reported to contradict elements of the Bennett findings, further complicating the investigation.[8] Ivorian pathologists were subsequently brought to Liberia to conduct a second autopsy, but the government ultimately did not proceed with it and released Greaves' remains to his family without a further examination.[9] Greaves' widow, Precious Andrews Greaves, publicly criticised the government's handling of the investigation as unprofessional.[10]

Political reaction and funeral

[edit]

Greaves' death prompted public concern about security in Liberia. Congress for Democratic Change chairman Nathaniel McGill said the case made him fear for his own safety as an opposition figure,[4] and Bong County Senator Jewel Howard-Taylor described the death as "terrifying and worrisome."[11] President Sirleaf publicly denied accusations that her government was targeting critics.[12] Greaves was buried on 10 March 2016 at St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Camp Johnson Road, Monrovia.[8]

Investigation outcome

[edit]

United States investigators assisted with the inquiry at the Liberian government's request.[7][9] In August 2016, American investigators concluded that Greaves' death was the result of accidental drowning and found no evidence of foul play.[13]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Cite error: The named reference africaconf was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Harry Greaves found dead on beach". The New Dawn Liberia. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  3. ↑ Cite error: The named reference allafrica-dead was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. 1 2 3 "CDC Expresses Fears". The New Dawn Liberia. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Suspicious deaths!". The New Dawn Liberia. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Horrible death". The New Dawn Liberia. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  7. 1 2 Cite error: The named reference voa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. 1 2 "Liberia: Harry Greaves Family Formally Announces Deceased Funeral". AllAfrica. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Family Announces Funeral Plans for Liberia's Greaves". AllAfrica. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  10. ↑ "GOL, family tussle over Harry Greaves body?". The New Dawn Liberia. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  11. ↑ "Greaves' death terrifying and worrisome". The New Dawn Liberia. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "'We're not witch-hunting' critics". The New Dawn Liberia. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  13. ↑ "'No Foul Play': US Investigators Concur With Drowning Theory in Harry Greaves Death". FrontPage Africa. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2026.

Category:2016 deaths Category:Liberian businesspeople Category:Government of Liberia Category:Accidental deaths in Liberia Category:Deaths by drowning

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