Denies Personal Recognizance, As Arrest Order Is Out For Former Finance Min. Samuel Tweah
PHOTO: Former Solicitor General and D. Moses P. Cooper being escorted to jail by armed police officers and Court Sheriffs (Above) and Samuel Tweah, ex-Finance Min.
The Monrovia City Court today, Monday July 29,2024, jailed former Liberia Solicitor General Cllr. Nyanti Tuan, the National Security Advisor to former President George Weah, Jefferson Karmohr and former Controller of the Financial Intelligence Agency D. Moses P. Cooper for alleged acts of economic sabotage and theft, as Garmah Never Lomo reports.
Jefferson Karmoh, former Pres Weah’s Nations Security Advisor at the Temple of Justice
Their incarceration was based on complaint filed by the Ministry of Justice in association with the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission for alleged crimes of Economic Sabotage in-line with section 15.80(a)(b) and (c), Misused of Public money, property or record section 15.8(c), theft and or illegal disbursement and expenditure of public money (section 18.52) theft of property, Criminal conspiracy and Criminal facilitation.
But the Monrovia City Court Magistrate Ben Barco denied the former Solicitor General Cllr. Nyanti Tuan and former Controller Financial Intelligence Agency personal recognizance and ordered them to file a valid criminal appearance bond after his lawyers requested court to release their clients to them and said request made by the defense lawyers was not objected by state prosecutors.
Both Cllr. Tuan and Cooper were arrested and taken to the court under heavy armed police escort.
Ex-Finance Min. Samuel Tweah to be arrested as well
Others to be arrested are Former Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel D. Tweah Jr., Stanley S. Ford, former Director of Financial Intelligence Agency, Jefferson Karmoh former National Security Advisor.
According to the court’s order:
You are hereby commanded to arrest the living bodies of Samuel D. Tweah, former Minister of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), Cllr. Nyenati Tuan, former Acting Minister of Justice, Stanley S. Ford, former Director General of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), D. Moses P. Cooper, former Comptroller of the Financial Intelligence Agency, and Jefferson Karmoh, former National Security Advisor, and forthwith bring them to the Monrovia City Court, Temple of Justice Building, Montserrado County to answer the charges of Economic Sabotage, Theft and/or Illegal Disbursement and Expenditure of Public Money, Theft of Property, Criminal Facilitation and Criminal Conspiracy based upon the oath and complaint of the Republic ofLiberia by and thru the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), Plaintiff, in which it is substantially alleged as follows to wit:
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 thereafter, at various times in September, 2023, the Defendants, in carrying out their diabolical scheme and conspiracy and under the false pretense of discharging their duties as officials of the Joint Security of Liberia, unauthorizedly, 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 of L$1,055,1 52, 540 the amounts of the FIA US$5,000, 000.00 million
The amounts ofL$1,055,145,040 and US$5,000, 000.00 million were subsequently withdrawn either on the same day of the transfers or days thereafter, 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.
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. HENCE, THIS WRIT OF ARREST.
CONTRARY TO THE FORM AND EFFECT OF THE STATUTORY LAWS OF LIBERIA IN SUCH CASES MADE AND PROVIDED AGAINST THE PEACE AND DIGNITY OF THIS REPUBLIC, AND FOR SO DOING, THIS SHALL CONSTITUTE YOUR LEGAL AND SUFFICIENT AUTHORITY AND HAVE THIS WRIT.
COURT GIVEN UNDER OUR HANDS AND SEAL OF THIS 29TH DAY OF JULY, A.D. 2024. WIT: Ministry of Justice, et. al. GISTERA GITY M FOF Daniel Y. McGill CLERK OF COURT MONROVIA CITY COURT.