MONROVIA – Former President George Weah’s decision not to conduct a thorough audit of the Unity Party (UP) government when he assumed office in 2018 has now come back to haunt him. The Unity Party, now back in power, has begun a systematic crackdown on officials from the Weah regime who have been implicated by recent audits, initiating prosecutions.
By Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
Weah Left Corruption Unabated
In her final Annual Message in January 2017, Weah’s predecessor, Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, under whom President Joseph Boakai served as Vice President for 12 years, acknowledged her shortcomings in the fight against corruption. “We have not fully met the anti-corruption pledge that we made in 2006,” Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told lawmakers in her last state of the nation address. “It is not because of the lack of political will to do so, but because of the intractability of dependency and dishonesty cultivated from years of deprivation and poor governance,” she added.
The Sirleaf-Boakai administration faced persistent allegations of nepotism related to the appointment of Sirleaf’s sons to government posts. Robert Sirleaf served as chairman of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL). Two other sons also occupied top positions, one at the National Security Agency and another at the Central Bank. In 2014, a 17-year-old grandnephew of Sirleaf’s gave a presentation to lawmakers on managing profits from oil production. Following that incident, Leymah Gbowee, who shared the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize with Sirleaf for their promotion of women’s rights, scolded the president in a scathing letter, expressing doubt about the teenager’s qualifications to give the talk.
Under the UP regime, NOCAL became embroiled in controversy, particularly after its collapse in 2015. Robert Sirleaf’s leadership during a period of lucrative oil exploration deals drew scrutiny, with allegations that funds meant for the government may have been misappropriated. Although no concrete evidence was presented, the collapse of NOCAL and the subsequent loss of significant revenues led to widespread speculation about corruption and mismanagement.
In 2018, Weah, then a newly minted President, was quite knowledgeable of these allegations of corruption and many others. In fact, upon taking office, he declared that he met empty coffers – something that his predecessor vehemently denied. However, that same year, Sirleaf criticized Weah on X (formerly Twitter) for the “opulence” displayed during the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree when she inferred that he was being insensitive to the economic hardship the country was faced with. In a sharp reaction, Weah recounted the litany of alleged corruption her Unity Party government was involved with. He wrote on Facebook:
“Madam Former President, let me refresh your memory about what OPULENCE is: OPULENCE is when Chevron gives 10 Million USD as CSR and you gave it to your son to squander. OPULENCE is when you have 4 billion in Foreign direct investment, but leave Liberia in abject squalor and poverty. OPULENCE is when you have 11 budget shortfalls in 12 years and yet spent tens of millions on failed projects like the Executive Mansion repair fiasco. OPULENCE is when you spent over a million dollars for Oil Law Consultations; only to bring your high school student grandchild to speak to experts. OPULENCE is when after 12 years of billions of dollars of Foreign Aid, you still leave the country with 1 billion dollars debt that my government is now paying back. There are a 1000 more examples, but let me leave you with these for now. OPULENCE is not when you use an old Christmas Tree and Choirs to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus.”
Despite listing all of these, Weah continuously refused to initiate an audit of the Sirleaf-Boakai regime, on grounds that his government would not be in the business of going after former officials of government for the sake of peace. This was despite several calls from the public and civil society organizations that there was the need for an audit of that regime. Officials of the Sirleaf-Boakai-led regime who amassed unexplained wealth were allowed to go free and have been living on their loot acquired over a long period of twelve years.
With the Unity Party back in power, now under the mantle of President Boakai, the administration appears to be leaving no stone unturned in auditing and bringing to book ex-officials of the Weah regime who are found wanting in audit and investigative reports for alleged corruption.
Boakai Doing What Weah Failed to Do
On Monday, two prominent ex-officials from the George Weah administration, Former Solicitor General, Cllr. Nyenate Tuan, and former Security Advisor Jefferson Karmoh, were detained at the Monrovia Central Prison. This followed a decision by the magistrate of the Monrovia City Court, L. Ben Barco, who denied their lawyer’s petition for recognizance, despite no objection from the prosecution. Additionally, D. Moses P. Cooper, the comptroller of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), was implicated in the case.
Others still to be arrested include former Minister of Finance Samuel D. Tweah and Stanley S. Ford, former Director of the FIA. According to the Writ of Arrest, an investigation by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) found that they allegedly orchestrated a sophisticated scheme to defraud the government. The allegations detail a conspiracy that began in July 2023, where the ex-officials are accused of colluding to defraud the Government of Liberia.
The writ states that in September 2023, under the guise of performing their official duties, 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 under Section 15.80 (a)(b)(c), misuse of public money or property, theft, illegal disbursement, expenditure of public money, theft of property, criminal facilitation, and criminal conspiracy.
Taking on The UP
In reaction to these arrests, Weah in a statement delivered on Tuesday accused the UP Government of witch-hunting ex-officials who served his regime. He criticized the move as a political tactic aimed at undermining the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) and the broader opposition community.
He went on to accuse the Joseph Boakai administration of several troubling actions, including the removal of civil servants from payroll based on party lines. He condemned the excessive use of force against citizens, which has resulted in several deaths, and criticized the administration’s failure to prosecute election-related deaths that were captured on camera.
Weah specifically criticized President Boakai’s recent suspension of the Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, describing it as a clear violation of the institution’s founding act. “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 declared. “Yes, Mr. Boakai, your actions to politicize justice will be resisted and resisted strongly.”
According to Weah, the Unity Party has ignored legal and constitutional principles and pursued reckless measures that have historically brought disorder and confusion to Liberia. He emphasized the importance of adhering to national security laws, especially in a post-conflict nation, and defended the CDC’s record in maintaining peace and security.
While he failed to act on GAC audit reports during his regime, he expressed in his press statement that the LACC must treat all audit reports from the General Auditing Commission equally, without cherry-picking.
“Skipping previous GAC audit reports and cherry-picking to target only officials of my administration undermines the fight against corruption, and the Liberian people must see such a move as a weaponization of the LACC to witch-hunt officials of my administration.”
Countering Weah’s Argument
Countering Weah’s argument, Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon stated that audit reports and other investigative reports being used by the current administration to indict accused persons for prosecution were funded and done by the Weah regime with his knowledge and consent.
Boakai Jaleiba, a ranking official of the current regime who also served as a junior minister during the Sirleaf-Boakai era, also stated on Facebook: “The CDC government will be held accountable for its stewardship of the country from 2018 to January 2024. We made a promise to our voters, and we will keep it. This is not business as usual. Just wait until the LTA and NPA audit reports are released.”
He also commented: “It is shocking and disgraceful that the Financial Intelligence Authority, intended to combat money laundering, was instead used as a front for laundering money under the Weah administration. To think that we would let those responsible for this egregious abuse of taxpayer funds go unpunished is nothing short of outrageous. Anyone who suggests otherwise is clearly out of touch with reality. Imagine L$1.1 billion and over US$2.86 million given the FIA over the counter in the name of intelligence.”
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