MONROVIA – The Liberia National Police has reignited the investigation into the suspicious death of Emmanuel Barthan Nyeswa, former Director General of the Internal Audit Agency, naming several key former officials of government as persons of interest in this renewed investigations.
By Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
The former top government officials are ex-Finance Minister Samuel Tweah, former Health Minister Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah, Senator Bill Twehway, and Teakon Williams.
Others also named as persons of interest are include Cllr. Norris Tweah, Dr. Emmanuel Wreh, Mr. James Thompson, Ms. Tina J. Mort, Mr. Gibson H. Tumbay, Mr. Robert S.M. Ketter, Mr. Musa Sesay, Ms. Hawa Mienwipia, Ms, Florence Zeanbaon and Mr. Joe Tokpah.
Nyeswa’s mysterious death, which occurred three years, nine months, and fourteen days ago, sent shockwaves through the country. His passing came just a week after Gifty Lama and Albert Peters, a research analyst and auditor respectively at the Liberia Revenue Authority, were found dead in a car on Broad Street. This tragic event was followed by the fatal car accident of another auditor, George F. Fanbutu. Nyeswa’s death was the final, chilling chapter in this unsettling sequence of auditors deaths.
Initial reports suggested that after spending an evening at D’Calabash, a local bar in Monrovia, Nyeswa returned home intoxicated. It was reported that during the night, he mistakenly believed a door in his bedroom led to the bathroom. Tragically, this door opened to a pavement 13 feet below, leading to his fatal fall. However, suspicions emerged that Nyeswa may have been lured to his bedroom and murdered.
Teakon Williams & Dr. Emmanuel Wreh
Teakon Williams, a long-time friend of Nyeswa who was with him at D’Calabash on the night of his death, told police they left the bar around 11 p.m. He suspected that someone might have been tailing Nyeswa. “When Nyeswa reached his car, it was blocked by someone I believe was tracking his movements. I suspect they set up the crime scene while he was away,” Williams said in his police statement.
Williams informed the police that he had locked the back door securely three times and that the front door had been locked all week due to Nyeswa’s misplaced key. Around 1 a.m., a security guard knocked on Williams’ door. When asked how they had gained entry, the guard said the door was already open.
Williams then went to Nyeswa’s room, but he was not there. He proceeded downstairs and found Nyeswa bleeding from his head and ears. Dr. Emmanuel Wreh, who was also in the house, was alerted. Despite their efforts to resuscitate Nyeswa, he was pronounced dead at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Medical Center an hour later. Williams noted that Nyeswa had received a call from Mr. Norris Tweah at around 1:22 a.m. He returned Tweah’s call, and together they took Nyeswa to the hospital.
Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah, Former Health Minister
Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah, who was the Health Minister at the time, was called to JFK Hospital when Nyeswa arrived. She also oversaw the autopsy, which initially found no evidence of foul play.
In November 2023, Ms. Musu Leela Kerkula, a friend of Nyeswa, publicly challenged the official narrative. During an interview on Spoon Talk, Ms. Kerkula claimed that Nyeswa did not fall from his room’s balcony but was murdered. She implicated several individuals, including Dr. Jallah, Samuel Tweah, his brother Norris Tweah, and Bill Twehway. Kerkula recounted that in September 2020, Nyeswa had mentioned concerns about corruption and specifically accused Dr. Jallah of wrongdoing, including maintaining multiple payrolls with fictitious names.
Samuel Tweah, Former Finance Minister
Ms. Kerkula also noted during the Spoon Talk interview that Nyeswa had expressed difficulties with an audit concerning the Liberian government’s Consolidated Account, citing challenges due to lack of cooperation from Finance Minister Samuel Tweah.
Meanwhile, Samuel Tweah has welcomed the police’s decision to reopen the investigation, hoping it will “independently re-establish facts”.
He posted on Facebook: “Last Friday, I received a call from my brother, Cllr. Norris Tweah, who informed me that the police wanted to speak with people connected to Barthan. Norris had already spoken with the police and encouraged me to do the same. Upon learning of the incident, I called Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah and Mr. Bill Twehway to report what had happened and to let them know we were heading to JFK where Barthan was taken.”
Bill Twehway, Former NPA MD
Bill Twehway, who was then Managing Director of the National Port Authority, reportedly had keys to Nyeswa’s home and could have been aware of any potential intruders, both Ms. Kerkula and Williams had disclosed. Both Nyeswa and Twehway previously lived on 16th Street in Sinkor in a building reportedly owned by Twehway.
At a news conference, Malcolm W. Scott, Public Affairs Director at the NPA, dismissed the accusations against Twehway as baseless. “The MD has never harmed anyone. It is absurd to accuse him of such a crime. The MD and the late Nyeswa were close friends. It’s inconceivable that someone with such a cordial and brotherly relationship would harm his friend,” Scott stated.
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