Monrovia, Liberia – Former acting minister of justice Cllr. Nyanti Tuan has strongly rejected allegations linked to the alleged mismanagement of over LD $1 billion and US$500,000 in public funds. The case, prosecuted by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission and the Ministry of Justice Liberia, involves several former top government officials including former finance minister Samuel Tweah.
Taking the stand on Monday Cllr. Tuan, maintained that the charges against him including economic sabotage, theft of property, money laundering, and criminal conspiracy are bogus because and unsupported by evidence. He argued that the prosecution failed to specify how much each defendant allegedly took or to establish from whom the money was stolen.
Tuan emphasized that his role in the transaction was strictly administrative, stating that he only wrote a letter to the Financial Intelligence Agency Liberia to facilitate the disbursement of funds for national security purposes. According to him, such actions fell within his statutory duties and were carried out in response to an emergency situation.
Addressing accountability concerns, the witness explained that financial procedures for national security operations differ from standard government accounting. He noted that audits involving the National Security Council Liberia and Joint Security funds are typically classified and conducted under presidential directive, arguing that no such audit was carried out in this case.
Prosecutors questioned Tuan’s description of his interactions with co-defendant Jefferson Karmoh during cross-examination. However, a number of objections were brought up and upheld by the court, which restricted the scope of the questions on important topics. Tuan maintained that no proof of wrongdoing or personal gain had been shown after close examination. In closing, he said that he had served the nation with diligence and within the confines of the law, and he invited forensic scrutiny into his activities.
Mariama Jalloh
