By Amos Harris
Minister of Justice, Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh, has strongly defended the government’s handling of the high-profile corruption trial involving former senior officials of the George Weah administration, insisting that the mixed verdict delivered by Criminal Court “C” should not be interpreted as a failure in the government’s anti-corruption campaign.
Speaking at the Ministry of Justice in Monrovia on Wednesday, May 13, following the jury’s verdict in the case involving former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah and others
Cllr. Tweh maintained that the prosecution achieved a major legal and institutional victory despite the acquittal of some defendants.
The trial centered on allegations surrounding the controversial transfer and withdrawal of more than US$6 million and over LD$1 billion from government accounts through the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), funds prosecutors claimed were moved outside lawful budgetary and legislative procedures.
A Montserrado County jury acquitted former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah and former FIA Comptroller D. Moses P. Cooper of all charges.
However, former Solicitor General and Acting Justice Minister Cllr. Nyanti Tuan was convicted on charges including theft of property, criminal facilitation, and criminal conspiracy.
Former National Security Advisor Jefferson Karmoh was also convicted for criminal facilitation and conspiracy, while the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict in the case of former FIA Director General Stanley S. Ford.
Addressing growing public criticism over the acquittal of Samuel Tweah, the Justice Minister argued that the verdict demonstrated the independence of Liberia’s judiciary rather than weakness in the prosecution’s case.
“The acquittals do not erase the message,” Cllr. Tweh declared.
“They show that our courts are independent and willing to convict or acquit based on the evidence presented.”
Despite the convictions secured against two former officials, the Ministry’s statement exposed deep public frustration over the inability of prosecutors to secure convictions against all defendants, particularly the former Finance Minister who allegedly authorized the transfer of the disputed funds.
Critics have questioned whether prosecutors failed to establish a direct link between the financial transfers and the alleged disappearance of public money.
Others have accused the government of over promising results in what became one of Liberia’s most politically charged corruption trials in recent years.
In his defense of the prosecution team, Cllr. Tweh disclosed that state lawyers spent nearly two years building the case, presenting eight witnesses and eighteen documentary exhibits, including Central Bank records, transfer letters, and testimonies from senior security and budget officials.
According to the Justice Minister, prosecutors established that the FIA had never previously been used to channel Joint Security funds and that the transactions bypassed Liberia’s normal budget execution process.
He further claimed that evidence presented during the trial showed that over LD$1 billion and US$500,000 were transferred into FIA accounts and later withdrawn in cash by former FIA Comptroller D. Moses P. Cooper without any receipts or credible documentation showing how the money was spent.
The Minister noted that the defense repeatedly argued that the transactions were tied to classified national security operations authorized by the National Security Council and former President George Weah’s administration.
However, Cllr. Tweh revealed that the defendants initially attempted to stop the case entirely by petitioning the Supreme Court for a writ of prohibition, arguing that presidential directives and national security secrecy shielded them from criminal prosecution.
According to him, the Supreme Court rejected those arguments and ruled that the criminal trial should proceed, a decision he described as one of the most significant legal victories in Liberia’s modern anti-corruption fight.
“That ruling established that national security cannot be used as a blanket shield to hide the disappearance of public funds,” the Minister asserted.
Still, observers say the government faces mounting pressure to demonstrate that future anti-corruption prosecutions can secure broader accountability, especially against top-level officials accused of authorizing questionable financial transactions.
While defending his prosecutors, the Justice Minister admitted that lessons must be learned from the trial.
He announced that the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) would conduct an internal review of the investigation, prosecution strategy, and jury selection process to identify weaknesses and improve future cases.
The Minister also used the occasion to criticize what he described as attempts by some political actors to portray the prosecution as politically motivated.
He insisted the case was based solely on evidence uncovered by the LACC and not on political vendetta.
President Joseph Boakai’s administration, he said, remains committed to allowing independent institutions to pursue corruption allegations regardless of the political status of those accused.
Meanwhile, the legal battle is far from over. Convicted defendants Cllr. Nyanti Tuan and Jefferson Karmoh have already filed motions for a new trial, while appeals to the Supreme Court are expected if the trial court upholds the guilty verdicts.
Should the convictions stand, the Ministry of Justice says it will push for stiff penalties intended to deter future abuse of public office.
The verdict has already intensified national debate over corruption, accountability, and the credibility of Liberia’s justice system.
While some Liberians view the convictions as a breakthrough against impunity, others believe the acquittals highlight the continuing difficulty of holding politically powerful figures fully accountable.
For now, the case has become a defining test of President Boakai’s anti-corruption agenda and a major measure of public confidence in Liberia’s courts and prosecutorial institutions.
