FLASHBACK ON HIS FACEBOOK POST: “From Political Witch-hunt to Political Manhunt: Unity Party’s Threats to Liberian Peace, Democracy and Governance!”
A NEWS ANALYSIS By Frank Sainworla, Jr., fsainworla@yahoo.com
After many weeks on the run, the circumstances surrounding the surfacing of former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah in Liberia after being on the run for many weeks remain unclear.
Mr. Tweah and three other former CDC officials were indicted for crimes of Economic Sabotage: (Fraud on the Internal Revenue of Liberia Misuse of public money, property, or record; Theft and/or illegal disbursement and expenditure of public money) 2. Theft of Property 3. Money Laundering 4. Criminal Facilitation 5. Criminal Conspiracy.
According to the indictment, between the period September 8-21, 2023, from transfers instructions documents submitted to the LACC Investigation by the CBL as indicated in counts-7, 8 & 9 of the investigative report shows that the total amounts transferred to the Operational accounts of the FIA by the CBL as per the instruction from the MFDP are LS1,055,152,540.00 billion and US$500,000.00, allegations the former Finance Ministry insists are not true.
“They have now recklessly been emboldened to veer lawlessly into man-hunting, the illegitimate use of political power to debase violate and demoralize political opponents by illegally and physically breaking into premises, an example of which was on shameless display today at the headquarters of the CDC.”
What is clear is that Mr. Tweah sees the stance by the current Unity Party (UP) government of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai as a “political witch-hunt” against him and former officials who he believes have done nothing wrong.
“From Political Witch-hunt to Political Manhunt: Unity Party’s Threats to Liberian Peace, Democracy and Governance!” was the title Tweah gave to his August 22, 2024 Facebook post he made while at large.
But yesterday morning, September 25, 2024, the ex-Finance Minister in the CDC government of former President George Manneh Weah’s government spirited his way into the Criminal Court “C” at the Temple of Justice from an unknown location to face multiple charges of corruption and economic sabotage, a move that he probably made grudgingly.
His whereabouts have not been known since a court warrant for his arrest was made public in late July this year. The Justice Ministry called on Tweah and other former officials needed to answer corruption allegations in court. Former Finance Min. Samuel Tweah Still At Large, As His Facebook Page Goes Silent – News Public Trust
At the time, In a phone call to www.newspublictrust.com, Mr. Nagbe said former Minister Tweah was “not running away and that he is in Abidjan” and was coming back to the country, but that didn’t happen until he surfaced on court on September 25, 2024.
“A ramshackle coalition that made its way to power on arguably the thinnest of electoral margins now dares to push an already fragile Liberia toward the precipice of chaos. In eight months, the UP has nearly broken every law and discarded every semblance of governance Liberia once enjoyed under President WEAH,” former Minister Tweah said in his August 22 post on his Facebook page.
He added: “They have now recklessly been emboldened to veer lawlessly into man-hunting, the illegitimate use of political power to debase violate and demoralize political opponents by illegally and physically breaking into premises, an example of which was on shameless display today at the headquarters of the CDC.”
Since coming to power over eight months ago on January 22 this year, President Boakai has vowed to bring past and president officials suspected of corruption to justice and confiscate public assets in their possession.
At his first appearance in court on Wednesday, former Finance Minister Tweah’s Lawyers managed to secure bail for their client, as Criminal Court “C” Judge Blamo Dixon declared him a free man, after a property bail bond in the tune of $8 million United States dollars was filed by his lawyers. Ex-Finance Min. Samuel Tweah Finally Surrenders To Criminal Court, After Being On The Run For Weeks – News Public Trust
Prosecution Lawyers interposed no objection, as the case is slated to get into full swing on November 12,2024 at the start of the November A. D 2024 Term of Court.
The Boakai government has since denied that its action to begin prosecuting former CDC government officials was a witch hunt. Earlier this year, President Boakai dismissed claims of witch-hunting former officials, saying that only witches are afraid to be hunted.
The Liberian leader said that his government intends to rectify past wrongs in the governance sector.
President Boakai said on Thursday, July 5, 2024: “To those of you with connections to the previous government, I want to make it clear that nobody entered this administration with the intention to witch-hunt or persecute anyone.”
But back in late July this year, former Liberian President George Weah also went on the offensive hitting back at President Boakai and his ruling Unity Party for charging and jailing some of his ex-officials for alleged corruption, claiming that it “is clearly a political move intended to target the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).
Mr. Weah said: “The Unity Party government, in the execution of their evil plans, choose to ignore legal and constitutional reliance, available evidence, and pursue reckless measures. The Unity Party must be reminded that these antics have only brought about disorder and confusion in Liberia’s recent history.”
With Tweah and other former CDC officials’ corruption cases set to go full blast in November, the legal teams from both sides are tightening the screws to convince the court either of innocence or guilt. And the court of public opinion is watching with eagle eye to see what comes out of not only the first wave of corruption cases.
But not only that, many are eagerly watching to see how determined Liberia’s 79-year-old President Boakai to go down to the wire in not only prosecuting corrupt officials but to bring an end to impunity at all levels not in a selective fashion.