Published: April 17, 2026
MONROVIA — The prosecution’s lead witness in the $6 million joint security funds trial contradicted himself three ways Monday, telling the court that a former acting justice minister promised to provide expense receipts — a claim that appears in neither the investigative report nor the defendant’s own signed statement.
Defense lead counsel Cllr. Arthur Tampa Johnson confronted LACC investigator Baba Borkai with the discrepancy during cross-examination, reading aloud the sworn statement of former Acting Justice Minister Cllr. Nylanti Tuan, which contained no reference to any such promise. The LACC’s final investigative report similarly made no mention of it.
Johnson then put the contradiction directly to the witness: “Mr. Witness, you have presented three conflicting accounts to this court and jury, your final investigative report, which makes no mention of any promise by defendant Tuan to provide receipts; the defendant’s signed written statement, which also contains no such information; and your oral testimony before this court asserting that he made such a statement. Which of these should the jury rely upon in determining the truth?”
The prosecution objected. The court overruled.
Borkai told the jury it should consider all three accounts in reaching its conclusion.
Before the pivotal exchange, Johnson had pressed Borkai to identify where in the prosecution’s evidence the receipt promise appeared. The witness insisted the statement was made during the investigation but avoided giving a direct answer when asked whether Tuan had submitted any additional statement not before the court.
Cross-examination is expected to continue in the afternoon session.
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