Deal #1396 Version #53363

The Sinoe community has reported Golden Veroleum to the roundtable on sustainable oil palm as the company is currently engaged in active land clearing on our customary land without our free prior informed consent as well as violating the RSPO New planting procedures which requires Golden Veroleum to not proceed with any land preparation, any new planting or infrastructure development. Several members of the Sinoe community have been arrested for attending meetings regarding the project. View the report by Forest Peoples Programme for more information on the consultation process. Public meetings where landowners were encouraged to hand over their land to GVL were watched over by powerful local officials, and in at least one case armed police. Global Witness also documents several accounts of violent assaults and arbitrary arrests of those who voiced their concerns. The MOU was not read to the communities. In October 2015, the Butaw Welfare and Development Association (BWDA) of Butaw District, Sinoe County has officially withdrawn the letter of complaint that was lodged against Golden Veroleum Liberia Incorporated in 2012 which resulted into imposing sanctions on GVL operations in Butaw District since 2012. While other communities reported to have Free, prior and informed consent (such as Wedabo-Juduken and Wedabo).

According to The Forest Trust (TFT) there is materiality to a number of the claims made by the communities (see Reuters press release). Adverse impacts include insufficient land and forest areas for community to farm/forage and sacred areas have been damaged.

In May 2015 the community had violent protests (riots) about the Butaw plantation. Villagers were beaten by the police during the riot, whilst managers of the plantations and workers were smuggled off the plantations in the trucks of cars. Villagers stole company and personal property of employees to the value of $736,509.58. The Liberian president has spoken about the protests by the community members, as she states it is chasing away further investors. Local dissent against the GVL land grab was silenced by beatings, threats, and arbitrary detention. Some villagers were detained until Mid August, following the riots in May- while one villager died in the police cells.

Communities have not been compensated for the loss of future income but only for land and crops per area and is not in compliance with “Price for economic crops damaged during development projects” published by the Ministry of Agriculture on August 20th, 2012. Golden Veroleum must pay the community development fund $5 for every hectare it plants.

The company will provide direct employment for an estimated 40000 persons, as well as develop infrastructure, train out growers and provide them low cost seedlings for cultivation and production of final brand of consumer products for local consumption and export to Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries. The company has not delivered its promises as of July 2015, only six toilets have been built. The MOU includes the development of the community through education initiatives and programs that allow villagers to sell their own palm oil to GVL. Company has rehabilitated hand pumps.

In May 2015 the community had violent protests (riots) about the Butaw plantation. Villagers were beaten by the police during the riot, whilst managers of the plantations and workers were smuggled off the plantations in the trucks of cars. Villagers stole company and personal property of employees to the value of $736,509.58. The Liberian president has spoken about the protests by the community members, as she states it is chasing away further investors. Local dissent against the GVL land grab was silenced by beatings, threats, and arbitrary detention. Some villagers were detained until Mid August, following the riots in May- while one villager died in the police cells. Representatives from communities visited the ABN AMRO and Rabobank, both in the Netherlands, in October 2019 to request the bank takes action against the investor. The community is supported by Milieudefensie, Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) and WALHI. In February 2019, the bank announced that communities could come and report on rights violations by its clients who should provide remedy, but now state that they only have an indirect link to the deals and there is little they can do.