Liberia: Former Officials Under George Weah Administration Charged, Arrested For Economic Sabotage

Several officials from former president George Weah’s administration have been charged with economic sabotage, theft, illegal disbursement and expenditure of public money, and other similar offences, with three ex-officials jailed.

Among those indicted are former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah; former national security advisor Jefferson Karmoh; former solicitor general Nyenati Tuan; ex-comptroller of the Financial Intelligence Unit (now an agency), D. Moses P. Cooper; and former director general of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), Stanley Ford.

Tuan, Karmoh, and Cooper were imprisoned on Monday by the court after failing to provide a criminal appearance bond. The Judge, Ben Barcon, denied their request for a personal recognisance bond.

Tweah, who is reportedly in Cote d’Ivoire, described the charges and the arrests of his fellow defendants as a “total witch hunt.”

The former officials were accused of conspiring to defraud the government of Liberia. According to the writ of arrest, the defendants unlawfully transferred “L$1,055,152.00 and US$5000,000.00” from the Central Bank of Liberia to the FIA’s accounts in September 2023 for their benefits.

The court documents indicated that the funds were withdrawn the same day, with no record of their disbursement or use.

The indictment is part of President Joseph Boakai’s efforts to combat corruption, a key promise of his administration.

Former Finance Minister Tweah responded to the charges on Facebook, saying, “Today, the Unity Party, facing allegations of corruption… has decided to politically witch-hunt me and former officials of the CDC.”

Tweah said he is working with his legal team to defeat the “witch-hunt” and “vindicate” his reputation through the justice system.

The case will test the Boakai administration’s commitment to fighting corruption and recovering stolen government assets. Historically, Liberia has struggled to prosecute officials accused of corruption, with almost all cases failing in court.

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