Monrovia, Liberia – In the ongoing economic sabotage case in Criminal Court “C” at the Temple of Justice, two former chiefs of staff and ministers of the Ministry of National Defence testified before the court and jury that they were unaware of the purported US$6.2 million payment pertaining to national security operations.
Retired Major Generals Daniel D. Ziankahn, Jr. and Prince Charles Johnson III denied any knowledge of cash purportedly transported through the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) in September and October 2023 when testifying as prosecution-subpoenaed witnesses in a Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission case.
Former Finance Minister Samuel Tweh and former Acting Justice Minister Nyanti Tuan are among the former high-ranking government officials involved in the case. They are accused of everything from money laundering to economic sabotage.
Ziankahn, who was the Minister of National Defence in 2023, said under oath that he had “no idea” that money had been disbursed through FIA accounts for cooperative security activities. He said, “As co-chair of the Joint Security at the time, I have no idea about the disbursement of funds through the FIA’s account.”
In a similar vein, Johnson, a former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia, claimed he was not aware of any later money transactions or the purported FIA entry into the Joint Security framework. Johnson said in court, “Not to my knowledge concerning any funds coming to the FIA.”
