Criminal Court “C” Judge Ousman F. Feika has officially overturned the previous “not guilty” verdict in the $6.2 million corruption trial of former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah and his co-defendants.
Handing down his much-anticipated ruling on July 21, 2026, Judge Feika nullified the initial May 8 acquittal and ordered the immediate arrest and detention of all 15 jurors at the Monrovia Central Prison on charges of jury tampering and misconduct.
The court completely set aside the prior acquittal that had cleared Samuel Tweah of economic sabotage and theft.
Because the original jury panel was found to be compromised, the court has mandated an entirely new trial for the accused former officials.
All 15 panel jurors are to be locked up following a post-verdict investigation triggered by confessions from three internal jurors. They revealed that multiple colleagues accepted unauthorized phone calls inside their isolated, sequestered quarters.
Speaking shortly before and after the ruling, Samuel Tweah strictly rejected the court’s decision, labeling it a purely “political” verdict. He publicly accused Vice President Jeremiah Koung of pressuring and instructing Judge Feika to reverse the acquittal.
On the heels of this ruling, the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) political party, which former President George Weah heads, vowed to resist the fulling. They claim the current administration is weaponizing judicial audit reports to selectively target former officials.
This historic ruling establishes a major legal precedent regarding the ability of Liberian circuit courts to retain supervisory authority and investigate jury corruption even after a verdict has been rendered.
Prior to this ruling, Former Minister of Finance and Development Planning Samuel D. Tweah Jr. has leveled explosive allegations against Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung, accusing him of orchestrating an effort to overturn a jury verdict that acquitted him in his corruption case and warning that such action could undermine Liberia’s judicial independence.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, a day before a scheduled court ruling, Tweah alleged that Vice President Koung instructed Criminal Court “C” Judge Ousmane Feika to set aside the jury’s verdict on what he described as a fabricated claim of “jury misconduct.”
According to Tweah, Judge Feika has found no evidence linking either him or his legal team to any misconduct, making any attempt to overturn the acquittal legally unjustifiable.
The former finance minister further claimed that the government had spent the past month deeply divided over how to proceed with the case. He alleged that several senior government officials, along with some members of the Supreme Court, opposed efforts to reverse the jury’s decision, warning that doing so would set a dangerous legal precedent and severely damage public confidence in Liberia’s judicial system.
Tweah claimed those opposing the move argued that overturning a lawful acquittal would expose the government to accusations of selectively targeting political opponents while ignoring similar cases that ended in acquittals.
He further alleged that Vice President Koung dismissed those concerns, claiming that electoral considerations were more important than protecting the rule of law.
Tweah also asserted that information available to him indicates a final government decision was reached last Thursday following extensive internal discussions and what he described as a national security assessment.
Calling the jury’s verdict final and legitimate, Tweah praised the nine jurors who acquitted him, saying they demonstrated courage and patriotism by resisting what he alleged were enormous political pressures.
He recalled becoming emotional when the verdict was announced, saying he shed tears both inside the courtroom and later during a press conference because ordinary Liberians had upheld justice despite what he characterized as government interference.
The former minister maintained that Judge Feika’s only lawful responsibility is to issue his certificate of freedom. He warned that should the court order a retrial, he would refuse to participate, arguing that such proceedings would violate his constitutional rights.
”I am already a free man,” Tweah declared, insisting that no court should be permitted to overturn what he believes was a lawful verdict delivered by a jury of his peers.
Describing himself as the target of a politically motivated prosecution, Tweah accused the Boakai administration of attempting to weaponize the justice system against perceived political opponents.
He further warned that Liberia must not return to what he described as the era of executive domination over the courts, recalling periods in the country’s history when political leaders allegedly dictated judicial outcomes. He said Liberians had sacrificed greatly to establish a democratic system governed by the rule of law rather than political influence.
Tweah also challenged Judge Feika and Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh Gbeisay to resist any external pressure, arguing that the judiciary must remain independent regardless of political interests.
Concluding his statement, Tweah vowed to continue resisting what he called political persecution and announced that he would address the media following Tuesday’s court ruling.
