Monrovia, Liberia – Samuel Tweah, the former Finance Minister, and his co-defendants are pushing to have the corruption case against them dropped, claiming that the accusations are unfounded and politically motivated.
On Monday, February 24, 2025, the move to dismiss was submitted, before of the case’s planned jury selection. The defendants are accused of financial misconduct involving the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA). They include former National Security Advisor Jefferson Karmon, former FIA Director-General Stanley S. Ford, former FIA Comptroller D. Moses P. Cooper, and former Acting Minister of Justice Cllr. Nyanti Tuan.
The accusations are related to allegations that the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) moved more than one billion Liberian dollars and half a million US dollars to FIA’s operating accounts without the required paperwork or supervision.
The defendants, however, strongly deny the charges, claiming that the transfers were lawful and permitted for reasons of national security. The defense team argued in the application that the case should be handled by the National Security Agency (NSA) rather than the Criminal Court “C” since it consists of sensitive national security issues.
According to the defense, judicial review does not apply to matters of national security. The defense team said that the National Security Reform and Intelligence Act of 2011, which makes the National Security Council (NSC) the highest advising body on questions of national security, supports its position. As members of the NSC, the defendants argue, they are not allowed to provide vital national security information, and the inquiry into the cash transfers was poorly conducted and driven by political motivations.
Additionally, the defense stressed that the accusations of financial impropriety have not been substantiated by the prosecution. They contend that there is no proof that the money was misappropriated and that no official requests or directions were made for the transactions. The absence of paperwork and traceable records raises questions about the case’s validity, and investigations have not demonstrated that Minister Tweah personally approved the alleged transactions.
Further casting doubt on the case’s credibility is the prosecution’s failure to produce concrete proof of the monies’ distribution or expenditure, despite assertions that Cllr. Nyanti Tuan received them. According to the defendants, the investigation and legal measures are part of an attempt to damage the reputations of important individuals from the previous government, they argue that the allegations are politically motivated.
Instead of addressing real financial crimes, the government is allegedly exploiting the case to settle political scores, according to the legal team. The defense claims that the judiciary shouldn’t be involved in cases controlled by national security legislation and that national security considerations shouldn’t be susceptible to judicial scrutiny, citing instances like Nixon v. Fitzgerald and Bryant v. R.L.
The defense team is currently awaiting confirmation from Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie of Criminal Court “C” on the dismissal of the case. The Financial Intelligence Agency, the Central Bank of Liberia, and the Ministry of Finance have already been asked by the court to produce important financial records pertaining to the alleged transactions. The legitimacy of the lawsuit is further called into question, nevertheless, because the government has not yet produced these papers.
The entire focus turn to Judge Willie’s impending ruling as the request to dismiss is examined. Should the case be dropped, it may send a clear message about how national security issues should be handled and how important it is for high-profile cases to be transparent.
