Monrovia – The Liberian government has issued an Interpol red notice for the arrest of former Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel Tweah. He, along with other ex-officials, is accused of withdrawing millions from the accounts of the Financial Intelligence Agency and allegedly converting the funds for personal use. Former Director of the Financial Intelligence Agency, Stanley S. Ford, is also reportedly on the run.
By Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
An Interpol Red Notice is a request for law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and arrest a person wanted for extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. These notices are issued at the request of a member country or international tribunal.
Three ex-officials from the George Weah administration, including former Solicitor General Cllr. Nyenate Tuan and former Security Advisor Jefferson Karmoh, have been detained at Monrovia Central Prison since Monday. This followed the Monrovia City Court magistrate, L. Ben Barco, denying their lawyer’s petition for recognizance despite no prosecution objection. D. Moses P. Cooper, former comptroller of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), is also implicated and detained.
The allegations involve a sophisticated scheme to defraud the government. The conspiracy reportedly began in July 2023, with the ex-officials accused of colluding to defraud the Government of Liberia. According to the writ of arrest issued against them, in September 2023, the defendants allegedly orchestrated unauthorized and illegal transfers from the Central Bank of Liberia. The funds in question amount to L$1,055,145,040.00 (US$5,467,072.75) and US$500,000.00, which were allegedly stolen and converted for personal use.
These funds were reportedly withdrawn shortly after the transfers without any documentation of their intended use or disbursement. The act is described as unlawful, wicked, and intentional, violating the New Penal Law of Liberia. The charges include economic sabotage, misuse of public money or property, theft, illegal disbursement, expenditure of public money, theft of property, criminal facilitation, and criminal conspiracy.
Samuel Tweah responded to the allegations on Monday, describing the arrest as politically motivated and a “political witch-hunt.” He stated, “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 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, 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. Working with my lawyers and others, I stand ready to defeat this witch-hunt and vindicate my reputation through the justice system. In the end, I will emerge stronger and my enemies will be put to shame! May we all work for a fairer and better Liberia!”
Former President George Weah reacted on Wednesday to the arrests and the international writ of arrest for his former Finance Minister. He accused the Joseph Boakai administration of several troubling actions, including removing civil servants from payroll based on party lines, using excessive force against citizens resulting in deaths, and failing to prosecute election-related deaths captured on camera. Weah criticized President Boakai’s recent suspension of the Central Bank of Liberia’s Governor as a clear violation of the institution’s founding act, stating, “The Unity Party can be assured that the CDC will use all legal and political means at its disposal to resist this move to weaponize the country’s judicial system to its selfish advantage.”
Weah emphasized the importance of adhering to national security laws in a post-conflict nation and defended the CDC’s record in maintaining peace and security. He expressed pride in his presidency, highlighting his respect for the rule of law and his fight against corruption. Weah recalled granting the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) direct prosecutorial powers and warned against eroding the gains made in the fight against corruption.
He urged the Boakai administration to treat all audit reports from the General Auditing Commission (GAC) equally to ensure fairness and transparency. He criticized the selective targeting of officials from his administration, warning that the administration’s actions could foment chaos by weaponizing government agencies to target past government officials. “For the UP administration to exploit our legal system and risk fomenting chaos, it tells you to what extent some politicians are willing to go just to maintain power,” Weah stated.
However, Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah dismissed Weah’s remarks against the current government as baseless, describing his tenure as a period marked by large-scale corruption. Speaking on Thursday at the Ministry of Information press briefing, Minister Piah criticized Weah, the CDC standard-bearer, for attempting to undermine the government’s efforts to conduct thorough audits of government institutions. Piah argued that Weah’s threats to resist the prosecution of alleged corrupt officials are distractions, stating, “Former President Weah’s statements should not be given any serious consideration. He speaks without a substantive argument and lacks the moral authority to address the issues he raised.” Piah further recalled the former president’s tenure, accusing Weah of engaging in extensive witch hunts within government entities during his six years in office. He assured that the government would resist any attempt by the CDC-led government to undermine current efforts for accountability.
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