{"id":7037,"date":"2026-02-16T18:24:56","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T18:24:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/?p=7037"},"modified":"2026-02-16T18:25:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T18:25:08","slug":"fda-seizes-illegal-logs-investigations-exposed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/2026\/02\/16\/fda-seizes-illegal-logs-investigations-exposed\/","title":{"rendered":"FDA Seizes Illegal Logs Investigations Exposed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Top: Some of the logs Westwood illegally harvested in the Gba Community Forest. Picture credit: Anonymous <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

By Emmanuel Sherman <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

MONROVIA \u2013 A Nimba court issued the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) a warrant<\/a> to seize logs that a company illegally harvested last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Eighth Judicial Circuit Court in Sanniquillie ordered the FDA to take charge of the 5,694.33 cubic meters<\/a> of logs Westwood Corporation felled outside a designated area in the Gba Community Forest, Sanniquillie-Mahn District.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are hereby commanded to immediately proceed to confiscate all logs harvested by West Wood Corporation outside of the 450-acre area\u2026,\u201d read the court warrant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samuel Cooper, Westwood\u2019s manager, declined to be interviewed. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An FDA investigation had found evidence<\/a> that the company harvested 4 kilometers outside the 450-acre area, near the East Nimba Nature Reserve, home to endangered species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Investigation confirmed an earlier DayLight publication<\/a> that utilized satellite imagery to pinpoint the illegal felling. The newspaper had established<\/a> that Westwood made two shipments of the illegal logs to Italy, violating Liberia\u2019s timber-trade agreement with the European Union. Moreover, the company\u2019s shareholders are unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having seized the logs, the FDA is required to seek a warrant for a public auction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FDA\u2019s Managing Director Rudolph Merab said<\/a> the regulator had already auctioned the logs. \u201cKris Veneer [Industries] won the bid for the auction, Merab told The DayLight. (Kris operates a plywood factory in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the first time the FDA has auctioned illegal logs since the Regulation<\/a> on Confiscated Logs, Timber and Timber Products was formulated in 2017.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Top: Some of the logs Westwood illegally harvested in the Gba Community Forest. Picture credit: Anonymous By Emmanuel Sherman MONROVIA \u2013 A Nimba court issued the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) a warrant to seize logs that a company illegally harvested last year. 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