Liberia’s Corruption Case Halted: Justice Orders Stay Order
In a surprise move, a Justice in Chambers at Liberia’s Supreme Court, Yussif D. Kaba, has halted an ongoing corruption case involving former officials of former President George Manneh Weah’s regime. The case, which involves allegations of economic sabotage, misuse of public funds, and multiple charges, was brought by Liberian prosecutors against former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah and other indictees.
The case, which was forwarded to a higher court for prosecution after the magisterial court in Monrovia issued arrest warrants against the former officials, has been stayed pending the outcome of a conference scheduled for September 4, 2024. The conference is expected to bring together government lawyers and lawyers representing the defendants to discuss the case.
The Justice’s decision to halt the case followed a request for a writ of prohibition against the ongoing legal proceedings involving Tweah and his co-defendants. The writ was filed by the defendants, who are accused of multiple crimes, including economic sabotage, misuse of public money, property, or record, theft and illegal disbursement and expenditure of public funds, theft of property, criminal facilitation, and criminal conspiracy.
The case involves former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah, who remains out of Liberia; Weah’s former National Security Advisor, Mr. Jefferson Karmoh; Liberia’s former Acting Justice Minister, Cllr. Nyenati Tuan; former Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) Director Mr. Stanley S. Ford; and former FIA Comptroller Mr. D. Moses P. Cooper.
The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) announced the indictment against the former officials following investigations into claims of economic sabotage, misuse of public funds, and multiple charges. The charges stem from a comprehensive investigation that uncovered significant allegations of corrupt practices that reportedly compromised the nation’s financial integrity.
Samuel Tweah, who served as Minister of Finance, is accused of mishandling public funds and enabling economic sabotage during his tenure. Nyenati Tuan, the former Acting Justice Minister, faces accusations of misusing public resources and participating in corrupt activities. Meanwhile, the indictments suggest a widespread network of alleged corruption at the highest levels of government.
While Mr. Tweah remained at large, he criticized the Unity Party (UP)-led government for its alleged ongoing corruption.
