While US Sanctioned Former Min. Of State Now Sen. Nathaniel McGill In Hot Water With LACC
By Frank Sainworla, Jr., fsainworla@yahoo.com
As a Court warrant of arrest hangs over him, the whereabouts of former Liberian Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah, Jr. remains unknown.
Since late July this year, arrest warrant from the Monrovia City Court at the Temple of Justice and later from the Criminal Court has been out for the ex-Finance Minister in the former CDC government of ex-President George Manneh Weah but to date, he’s yet to surface in Liberia
His exact whereabouts are publicly known but Mr. Tweah is said to be out of this country. The former Finance Minister has also been absent from his known Facebook page since July 29, 2024, when he rubbished the move to prosecute him for alleged corruption by the Unity Party government of President as “politicially motivated”.
President Boakai has vowed to bring past and president officials suspected of corruption to justice and confiscate public assets in their possession.
“My fellow Liberians, partisans, friends and family: today a politically motivated witch-hunt has been officially launched against my person, calling for my arrest. Over the last six years, I have been a major political target and have faced falsely devilish accusations, spanning from a so-called 25 million mop up propaganda through the 16 billion concoction to so many other fabrications intended to besmirtg my reputation and derail my political institution,” Tweah said in that post before apparently going underground on Social Media.
On Monday July 29,2024, the Monrovia City Court jailed former Liberia Solicitor General Cllr. Nyanti Tuan and former Controller of the Financial Intelligence Agency D. Moses P. Cooper and Jefferson Karmoh former National Security Advisor were jailed 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.
According to the Court at the time, 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. An Interpol Arrest Order Out For Former Finance Min. Samuel Tweah – News Public Trust
Later, the Justice Ministry called on Tweah and other former officials needed to answer corruption allegations in court to turn themselves in, with reports that the Minister has sent out an alert to INTERPOL, the International Police Organization, something former Information Minister and Liberia Maritime Authority Commissioner Lenn Eugene Nagbe categorically denied.
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.
Speaking shortly after the story was published by this news outlet, the CDC executive Eugene Nagbe insisted in a conversation with this writer that INTERPOL was not looking for Tweah and News Public Trust must take the story down, something the Managing Editor has vehemently refused to do.
To give former Minister Nagbe the benefit of the doubt, this news outlet sent a Facebook message to the former Finance Minister on when he will return to Liberia to answer to the corruption charges, but we are yet to get a reply. A follow up message was later sent but Minister Tweah seems to have disappeared from Social Media or has abandoned his Facebook page.
Sen. Nathaniel McGill in hot water with LACC
Meanwhile, another fomer top official of the immediate past CDC government, Nathaniel McGill is wanted by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) on alleged corruption issues.
Former Minister of State now Sen. Nathaniel McGill
McGill, Weah’s former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs who has been placed under United States sanction on graft claims and presently Senator of Margibi County, is wanted by the LACC to defend his stewardship relating to supplementary payroll at the Ministry of State laden with well over 700 names.
Local media reports said today, Wednesday, August 21, 2024 that a number of CDC supporters stormed the LACC offices in Monrovia to protest against the summoning of McGill.
In a circular, the LACC said its latest move to call in McGill on Wednesday was in line with its stance against bad governance, because the supplementary payroll “process was marred by irregularities amounting to payroll padding, Administrative Malpractice, acts of corruption, among others.
SEE DETAILS O FLACC CIRCULAR BELOW:
In reaction, Sen. McGill put up a cooperative posture from the tone of his message he published in Monrovia on Tuesday, August 20, 2020, saying that he respects the LACC and would honour its invitation adding that he’s “committed to transparency and accountability, no amount of allegations can deter or silence us”.
SEE FULL TEXT OF MCGILL’S STATEMENT BELOW:
In light of our unwavering stance against bad governance and the government’s unsuccessful attempts to silence our voice, we have received formal communication from the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).
They have requested my presence to provide information that will assist in their ongoing investigation into allegations of payroll padding and corruption related to salary payments on a Supplementary Payroll containing 728 names at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs.
As public servants committed to transparency and accountability, no amount of allegations can deter or silence us. We remain resilient in our advocacy for transparency and accountability, and we will continue to stand firm in our efforts to ensure that good governance prevails.
Out of respect for the LACC, we will attend the inquiry session scheduled for tomorrow at 11 AM, after which I will address the press.”