Monrovia, Liberia – Jury selection for the case involving former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah and many others is scheduled to start on Monday, February 25, 2025, in Criminal Court “C.” At a pretrial meeting held at the Temple of Justice, which was announced by Presiding Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie, the defense and prosecution agreed to exchange pertinent papers prior to the trial.
In accordance with Liberia’s criminal procedural statutes, the defense asked for a jury trial during the proceedings. In order to preserve the process’s integrity, the prosecution requested that the chosen jurors be sequestered, but they did not object to the request. Sequestration ensures fairness in the case by isolating jurors to prevent outside influence.
The trial is based on claims that former finance minister Tweah, former Acting Justice Minister Cllr. Nyenati Tuan, and other former George Weah government officials engaged in economic sabotage, embezzlement, theft, unlawful distribution, and criminal conspiracy. The accusations were brought by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and the Ministry of Justice on behalf of the Republic of Liberia.
Judge Willie was appointed to preside over the case when Judge A. Blamo Dixon recused himself after a directive from Justice in Chambers Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay of the Supreme Court. Prosecution lawyers questioned Judge Dixon’s impartiality, pointing to purported comments he made in public that would have damaged the prosecution’s case, and the ruling followed.
Judge Willie, who is presently the Resident Judge of Criminal Court “A,” was then designated by Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh to oversee the proceedings at Criminal Court “C” for this well-known trial. As the case progresses, his appointment is anticipated to offer judicial monitoring.
