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PHOTO: (L-R) Finance Min. Samuel Tweah and Senate President Pro Tempore Albert Chie

Just few days after imposing sanction on Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Koijee, the United States earlier today, Monday, December 11, 2023 announced that it has also imposed sanctions on three top officials of the Liberian government, including Finance Minister Samuel Tweah and Senate President Pro Tempore, Albert Chief for alleged acts of corruption.

Sanction has also been imposed on Senator Emmanuel Nuquay of Margibi County, who is on the Senate standing committee on finance.

“Pursuant to Section 7031(c), the United States is publicly designating Tweah, Chie, and Nuquay, afor their involvement in significant corruption by abusing their public positions through soliciting, accepting, and offering bribes to manipulate legislative processes and public funding, including legislative reporting and mining sector activity. As part of this action, their immediate family members are also designated, including their spouses Delecia Berry Tweah, Abigail Chie, and Ruthtoria Brown Nuquay, and Tweah and Nuquay’s minor children,” says a US State Department statement.

This brings to eight the number of Liberian government officials now under sanctions by the US government for alleged corruption and human rights abuse.

It is yet to be seen what concrete impact the wave of sanctions will have on the Liberian body politics or whether the claims against those being sanctioned will be translated into court prosecution of the accused.

Before the latest four Liberian officials being sanctioned by the US government, four top officials were placed under American sanctions–former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs (President George Weah’s Chief of office staff) Nathaniel McGill, Nimba County, Prince Y. Johnson, Grand Cape Mount County Senator Varney Sherman, former National Port Authority (NPA) Managing Director Bill Twehway and former Solicitor General Syreanius Cephus were put under US sanctions recently.

But despite the sanctions, four of them contested the October 10, 2023 legislative election, with three winning senatorial seats and being declared Senators-elect by the National Elections Commission (NEC) of Liberia.

Leveraging Tools to Promote Accountability and Counter Global Corruption

FACT SHEET

OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON

DECEMBER 11, 2023

On the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day and the opening of the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention Against Corruption, the United States is taking the following actions to promote accountability for corrupt actors around the world. The Department of State is designating over 30 individuals pursuant to Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2023 (Div. K, P.L. 117-328), as carried forward by the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 (Div. A, P.L. 118-15). The Department of the Treasury is designating two individuals and 44 entities pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

Section 7031(c) provides that in cases where there is credible information that officials of foreign governments have been involved in significant corruption or a gross violation of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are generally ineligible for entry into the United States and must be either publicly or privately designated.

ACTIONS TAKEN TO PROMOTE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CORRUPT ACTORS

Liberia

Samuel Tweah, Liberian Minister of Finance and Development Planning, and Liberian Senators Albert Chie and Emmanuel Nuquay

Pursuant to Section 7031(c), the United States is publicly designating Tweah, Chie, and Nuquay, afor their involvement in significant corruption by abusing their public positions through soliciting, accepting, and offering bribes to manipulate legislative processes and public funding, including legislative reporting and mining sector activity. As part of this action, their immediate family members are also designated, including their spouses Delecia Berry Tweah, Abigail Chie, and Ruthtoria Brown Nuquay, and Tweah and Nuquay’s minor children.

Additionally, on December 8, Treasury designated Mayor of Monrovia Jefferson Koijee pursuant to E.O. 13818 for engaging, or having been a leader of an entity that has engaged in serious human rights abuse and corruption. In addition to serious human rights abuse, Koijee engaged in corrupt acts, including bribery and misappropriation of state assets and pressuring anti-corruption investigators to halt all corruption investigations.

Leveraging Tools to Promote Accountability and Counter Global Corruption – United States Department of State

Leveraging Tools to Promote Accountability and Counter Global Corruption

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