-Liberians hail indictment of Ex-Officials, reject claims of political witch-hunt
By Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia, Liberia – The Monrovia City Court made headlines on Monday and Tuesday after it indicted and issued arrest warrants for several former high-ranking officials, including Samuel D. Tweah, the former Minister of Finance and Development Planning, and Clr. Nyenati Tuan, the former Acting Minister of Justice. The indictments were made following a formal complaint from the Republic of Liberia, represented by the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC). The accused are alleged to have orchestrated a complex scheme to defraud the government in July 2023.
Also on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, President Joseph Boakaisuspended Aloysius Tarlue, the Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), in light of a recent audit report released by the General Auditing Commission (GAC). The audit, which examined the bank’s operations from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2023, uncovered alarming instances of non-compliance and governance failures. This was made known during the Ministry of Information Cultural Affairs and Tourism press briefing on Tuesday, July 30, 2023.
In response to both the ex-officials’ indictment and Tarlue’ssuspension, many Liberians have voiced their support for the government’s actions, dismissing claims that the indictments constitute a political witch-hunt. At a press conference on Tuesday, Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah quoted the LACC report by noting that “1.5 billion Liberian Dollars and 500k USD was withdrawn from the CBL account on the order of (Former Finance Minister) Samuel Tweh”.
In Monrovia, Archie Ponpon, a prominent Liberian advocate, emphasized the legitimacy of the recent audit, stating, “This cannot be labeled a witch-hunt. An audit was conducted to establish misrepresentation and provide assurance regarding what went wrong. The suspension falls within the context of incompetence. We do not see any political witch-hunt here; rather, it is a process of accountability for those who should have known better but chose to act unethically. The indictment signifies that individuals will be held accountable for their stewardship.”
Mohammed A. Dukuly, Officer in Charge at the Center for the Exchange of Intellectual Opinion (CEIO), echoed Ponpon’ssentiments, asserting that the indictments represent a significant step toward combating impunity in Liberia. “The exigency of this entire indictment and in my own opinion, what we have witnessed over the course of time as a country is that impunity has always stood in the way of basic governance issues. So when we start seeing the early oppressive approach of persecution of ex-government officials, we see this as a plus to the government of the Republic of Liberia and this is a message that the government is sending across that they are serious about business and they are serious to fight corruption,” he said.
When asked about the possibility of a political witch-hunt, Dukuly firmly stated, “No, the rule of law is being exercised in this context.” Another Liberian, Alfred Kromah also expressed gratitude toward President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for his commitment to accountability. “Firstly I want to use this occasion to extend thanks and appreciation to President Boakaifor what he promised the Liberian people that he will do and he has started to do it. That is to prosecute who stood Liberian people money to bring them to book so I must commend him for that. I also want to commend him because you can’t be fighting corrupt former government officials and in your own government, people are corrupt. So I want to say thank you for suspending the Central Bank Governor,” he remarked.
Support for the government’s actions continued to grow, with citizens like Bob John praising the president’s efforts. “First of all I would like to commend the President of the Republic of Liberia, [Joseph Nyuma Boakai], because what he is doing, he’s doing it in the interest of the Liberian people. I embrace it because you can come and steal our country’s money and go with impunity,” he stated.
From the Borough of New Kru Town, resident Barclay Weahvoiced a similar perspective, urging fellow Liberians to recognize the importance of these legal actions. “My brother, let nobody in the Republic of Liberia say that this is a witch hunt. It is precedence. If the Weah government failed to audit Madam Sirleaf-led government, it tells us that the then government which was headed by George Weah was not a serious government. It is not a witch-hunt. No Liberian should say it is a witch hunt. We were here when they said 16 billion lost. It is from that backdrop George Weah’s government should have audited the entire Madam Sirleaf government to know who lost the 16 billion. Today, it is not a witch hunt by [President] Joseph Boakai,” Weah asserted.
Meanwhile, Former President George Manneh Weah will today, July 31, 2024, address the nation at the CDC National Headquarters in Congo Town. It has been gathered that the conference will center around the recent indictment of ex-officials.
The indictment
The Monrovia City Court on Monday, July 29, 2024, indicted and issued arrest warrants for five former high-ranking officials of the Liberian government, including Samuel D. Tweah, the former Minister of Finance and Development Planning, and Clr. Nyenati Tuan, the former Acting Minister of Justice, former National Security Advisor Jefferson Karmoh, ex-Comptroller of the Financial Intelligence Unit (now FIA) D. Moses P. Cooper, and former Director General of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) Stanley Ford.
Cllr. Tuan, Karmoh, and Moses P. Cooper were incarcerated after failing to present a criminal appearance bond, as they could not afford the amount required for economic sabotage. Judge Ben Barcon denied their request for a personal recognizance bond. Their charges stem from allegations of economic sabotage and misuse of public funds, among other serious offenses.
The indictment and arrest (warrants) were issued following a formal complaint lodged by the Republic of Liberia, represented by the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC). The defendants are accused of orchestrating a complex scheme to defraud the government, which allegedly took place in July 2023.
According to court documents, the defendants conspired to include Stanley S. Ford, the former Director General of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), as a member of the National Security Council of Liberia, in violation of the National Security Act. Subsequently, in September 2023, they allegedly engaged in unauthorized and illegal activities under the guise of their official duties, resulting in the theft and misappropriation of substantial amounts of money from the Central Bank of Liberia.
The total amount allegedly stolen includes L$1,055,152,540.00 and US$5,000,000.00, which were reportedly transferred to the FIA’s operational accounts. Investigators claim that these funds were withdrawn almost immediately after the transfers, indicating a well-coordinated effort to siphon off public resources for personal gain.
The charges against the former officials include economic sabotage, theft, illegal disbursement and expenditure of public money, criminal facilitation, and conspiracy. The court has ordered the arresting officer, Captain Charles Bloyuefloh of the Magistrate Police, to bring the defendants to the Monrovia City Court to answer these grave allegations.
Alarming over witch–hunt
In a statement issued Monday following the indictment, Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., the former Minister of Finance and Development Planning, branded the Monrovia City Court’s issuance of arrest warrants for him as the initiation of a politically motivated “witch-hunt” against him. The court’s action arises from serious allegations of economic sabotage and misuse of public funds.
Tweah wrote: “My fellow Liberians, partisans, friends, and family,” he began, “today, a politically motivated witch-hunt has been officially launched against my person, calling for my arrest. Over the last six years, I have been a major political target and have faced falsely devilish accusations, spanning from a so-called 25 million mop-up propaganda through the 16 billion concoctions to so many other fabrications intended to besmirch my reputation and derail my political institution.
He pointed to a history of allegations against him, including accusations related to a controversial $25 million monetary policy and the infamous $16 billion scandal, which he claims are fabrications aimed at discrediting him.
“Today, the Unity Party: facing massive allegations of ongoing corruption, including a UP GOVERNMENT-sanctioned CBL payment of US$8 million of Liberia reserve money to SIB bank which funded the UP campaign (read FPA story today); shamelessly turning a blind eye to mountains of audit reports detailing the gutting of the Liberian Treasury under its 12-year rule; and experiencing very low public rating due to its six-month failures as a Government, has decided to politically witch-hunt me and former officials of the CDC,” he said.
Tweah went on to criticize the Unity Party, which he accused of engaging in corrupt practices, including a recent $8 million payment from the Central Bank of Liberia to a bank that allegedly funded the party’s campaign. “The Unity Party, facing its own massive allegations of corruption and public disapproval, has resorted to targeting me and other former officials of the CDC,” he stated.
Recently, ex-officials of the former ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government, including Samuel Tweh, former Finance Minister; Bill T. Twehway, Senator of River Cess County; Wilhelmina Jallah, former Health Minister; and Mr. Trokon Williams, have been summoned by the Liberia National Police (LNP) for questioning into the mysterious death of Emmanuel Barthan Nyeswa, the former Director General of the Internal Audit Agency.
