-Court Issues Contempt for Samuel Tweah & Stanley Ford. Tweah Is Said to Be in South Africa While Ford Was Sometime Last Week Spotted in Banjul, The Gambia. If They Can’t Turn Themselves In, The Government of Liberia May Issue a “Red Alert” and Request Interpol to Arrest Them
IPNEWS: Former Finance and Development Minister Samuel Tweah, and co-conspirator Stanley Ford, former Director General of the Financial Intelligence Agency, have been declared wanted over failure to avail themselves under the jurisdiction of the court since it ordered the arrest of the pair.
Tweah, who is believed to be in South Africa, immediately responded to the charges of economic sabotage, theft and or illegal disbursement and expenditure of public money, theft of property, criminal conspiracy, and criminal facilitation as political ‘watch Hunt’.
As for Ford, his whereabouts remains unknown. However, sources tell the authoritative Independent Probe that the former FIA Director General was spotted in the Gambian capital, Banjul, sometime last week.
At the moment, report reaching IPNEWS says officials of the opposition CDC are unable to secure a surety bond for the three former government officials arrested last week by state security.
On Thursday, August 1,2024, the Monrovia City Court presided over by Magistrate Ben L. Barco, transferred their case to Criminal Court “A” over jurisdictional issue.
The court record reads, by directive of his Honor L. Ben Barco, stipendiary magistrate Monrovia city Magisterial Court, we are herewith forwarding you the case Republic of Liberia by and thru, the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission of the City of Monrovia, plaintiff vs. Samuel D. Tweh, former Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Cllr. Nyenati Tuan, former Acting Minister of Justice, Stanley S. Ford, former Director of the Financial Intelligence Agency, D. Moses P. Cooper, former controller, Financial Intelligence Agency and Jefferson Karmoh, former National Security Advisor and all of the city of Monrovia, Liberia.
In the wake of struggling to secure a bill bond, and repeated no show since his indictment, the court has issued a wanted notice to Interpool to have the former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah and former Director General of the FIA arrested and brought under the jurisdiction of the court. Interpol is the Interntional Police Organization.
The Weah-led administration’s three former senior officials, who were recently arrested and remanded at the Monrovia Central Prison, need to brace themselves for a longer period in detention — if they haven’t already — given their incredibly slim chances of securing a bond of over US$6 million for their conditional release.
Cllr. James Kumeh, one of the defense Attorneys, disclosed to a local daily on Tuesday, July 30, that it is a “practical impossibility to secure a US$6M bond in time.”
Cllr. Kumeh’s disclosure comes just a day after the defendants showed up at the Monrovia City Court to answer charges brought against them by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).
“Our ongoing diligent efforts have proven that a bond in the full amount is a practical impossibility. These diligent efforts have included approaching former officials,” Kumeh is quoted by the local daily to say. “Our efforts, including countless hours negotiating with other personalities in the country, are getting us some little results. Obtaining an appeal bond in the full amount is not possible under the circumstances presented.”
Cllr. Kumeh did not mention if they have contacted bond companies to negotiate hard assets, such as real estate, as collateral.
Defendants Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., former Finance Minister; Cllr. Nyenati Tuan, former Acting Justice Minister, and Solicitor General; Moses P. Cooper, former Comptroller of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA); and former President Weah’s National Security Advisor, Jefferson Karmoh, were ordered arrested by the City Court, on a complaint by Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).
They were said to have carried out their “diabolical scheme” and conspiracy under the false pretext of discharging their duties as officials of the Joint Security of Liberia and unauthorizedly transferred, from the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) to the operational accounts of the FIA, the amounts of L$1,055,152,540.00 and US$500,000.
Cllr. Tuan, Comptroller Cooper, and Mr. Karmoh are the defendants now arrested and being detained, whose bond the lawyers have not had any success obtaining.
Their charges include economic sabotage, theft and or illegal disbursement and expenditure of public money, theft of property, criminal conspiracy, and criminal facilitation.
The LACC’s report alleged that “in an elaborate scheme and conspiracy to defraud the Government of Liberia, in July 2023, Defendants conspired with Co-Defendant Stanley S. Ford, and made him a member of the National Security Council of Liberia, in total violation and contravention of the National Security Act of Liberia.”
Subsequently, after that, the document claims that “at various times in September 2023, the Defendants, in carrying out their diabolical scheme and conspiracy and under the pretense of discharging their duties as officials of the Joint Security of Liberia, unauthorized, criminally, willfully, illegally, knowingly and maliciously, with the intent to defraud the Government of Liberia, stole and converted to their own use and benefit, and did conspire, collude and made to be transferred, from the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) to the operational accounts of the FIA the amounts of L$1,055,152,540.00 and US$500,000.”
The LACC further claims that the money was subsequently withdrawn either on the same day of the transfers or a few days after that, “without any indication or record of how the amounts were disbursed or utilized by the Joint Security of Liberia, in complete and total violations of the New Penal Law of Liberia.”
It adds: “The alleged act of the defendants being unlawful, wicked, illegal and intentional is a violation of the New Penal Law of Liberia, there and then the crimes herein the Defendants did do and commit.”
Political pundits are unsure that Tweah might come out of prison anytime soon.
Political activist Martin K.N. Kollie, states that the former Finance and Development Minister could rot in jail due to bond. Kollie stated that the criminal charges against him over a US$6.2 million FIA scandal are bailable. This means an insurance company can file a bail bond of US$12.4 million on his behalf to ensure he does not go to jail before, during, and after arraignment and conviction.
Why Is Tweah Still in Hiding?
D-Tweah, as the former Finance Minister is affectionately called, has hired a team of lawyers to secure a bail bond on his behalf before he can come out of his hideout but no insurance company is willing to offer a bond to a U.S.-sanctioned designee, and here’s why.
Bond Dilemma:
In an official dispatch, the U.S. Government has strongly WARNED the Central Bank of Liberia, Commercial Banks, and other Businesses, including Insurance Companies, NOT to do business or transact with sanctioned designees using its legal tender or currency (U.S. Dollars).
The insurance companies in Liberia are quite aware of the consequences and troubles they could endure if they offer a US$12.4M bail bond to U.S.-sanctioned designee Samuel Tweah. Their businesses could collapse or become insolvent because all of them (insurance companies) are heavily dependent on U.S. Dollars to trade and transact.
The legal team of Samuel Tweah has not been successful in securing a bail bond for him. Hence, Tweah remains in his hideout. But how long can he stay in hiding? If Tweah is unable to secure a bail bond, which is highly likely due to U.S. sanctions, he is going to rot in jail before, during, and after arraignment and conviction.
Tweah is in a hot spot right now. It’s tough. This is a catch-22 situation.
If Tweah does not make himself available this week as directed by his writ of arrest from Monrovia City Court, GOL is poised to issue an INTERPOL Red Notice to arrest and extradite him from wherever he may be hiding right now. Tweah is likely to be treated as a fugitive and a common criminal if he woefully decides to evade justice and accountability in Liberia. He must account for his stewardship as an ex-Finance Minister.
Tweah has no more reputation. He’s damaged for good because his face is already in international headlines for being an alleged culprit of a laundry list of criminal offenses including theft, misuse of public money, criminal facilitation, money laundering, etc.
The fact is that Tweah’s situation is complicated. He is in trouble for allegedly milking the national treasury. The once powerful finance minister could rot in jail. We fully support accountability, transparency, and justice in Liberia. We call on President Boakai to aggressively crackdown on CORRUPTION. This menace must be undressed. An end to impunity in Liberia is an imperative.
Latest report coming in says the President of the Republic of Liberia his Excellency Joseph Nyumah Boakai has sharply reacted to comments coming from the leaders of opposition CDC about his government witch-hunting ex-officials in the name of fight corruption.
