–But Tweah Says, “The Witch-hunt Has Officially Commenced”
The Monrovia City Court has issued a writ of arrest for several ex-officials of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government, including the former Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Samuel Tweah, Jr., former Acting Minister of Justice, Cllr. Nyenati Tuan, former Director of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), Stanley S. Ford, former Comptroller of FIA, D. Moses P. Cooper, and former National Security Advisor, Jefferson Karmoh, for the alleged commission of economic sabotage, misuse of public money, property or record, theft and/or illegal disbursement and expenditure of public money, theft of property, criminal facilitation and criminal conspiracy.
The court issued the arrest writ on Monday, July 29, 2024. In his order to the Magistrate Police, Captain Charles Bloyuefloh, and his deputy, the Judge of the Monrovia City Court, His Honor Ben Barco, said, “You are hereby commanded to arrest the living bodies of Samuel D. Tweah, former Minister of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), Cllr. Nyenati Tuan, former Acting Minister of Justice, Stanley S. Ford, former Director General of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), D. Moses P. Cooper, former Comptroller of the Financial Intelligence Agency, and Jefferson Karmoh, former National Security Advisor, and forthwith bring them to the Monrovia City Court, Temple of Justice Building, Montserrado County, to answer the charges of economic sabotage, theft and/or illegal disbursement and expenditure of public money, theft of property, criminal facilitation and criminal conspiracy based upon the oath and complaint of the Republic of Liberia by and thru the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).
According to the writ, the plaintiff, LACC, alleged that in an elaborate scheme and conspiracy to defraud the Government of Liberia (GOL), in July 2023 the defendants conspired with co-defendant Stanley S. Ford and made him a member of the National Security Council of Liberia, in total violation and contravention of the National Security Act of Liberia. Subsequently thereafter, at various times in September 2023, the defendants, in carrying out their diabolical scheme and conspiracy and under the false pretense of discharging their duties as officials of the Joint Security of Liberia, unauthorizedly, criminally, willfully, illegally, knowingly and maliciously, with the intent to defraud the Government of Liberia, stole and converted to their own use and benefit, and did conspire, collude and made to be transferred, from the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) to the operational accounts of the FIA the amounts of L$1,055,152,540.00 and US$500,000. The amounts of L$1,055,145,040.00 and US$500,000 were subsequently withdrawn either on the same day of the transfer or few days thereafter, without any indication or record of how the amounts were disbursed or utilized by the Joint Security of Liberia, in complete and total violations of the New Panel Law of Liberia.
On yesterday, the Magistrate Police made their first arrest, apprehending the former Solicitor General, Tuan, and turning him over to the court.
However, in response to the writ of arrest, the former Minister of Finance, Samuel Tweah, says the witch-hunt against his person has commenced.
On his official Facebook handle, Tweah said, “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 concoction to so many other fabrications, intended to besmirch my reputation and derail my political institution.
“Today, the Unity Party: facing massive allegations of on-going 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.”
Tweah disclosed that he is working with his lawyers and others, and stands ready to defeat the “witch-hunt” and vindicate his reputation through the justice system. “In the end, I will emerge stronger and my enemies will be put to shame,” he maintained.