By Garmah Never Lomo, @gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia –Several former top officials of the previous CDC government, including ex-Finance Minister Samuel Tweah and former President Weah’s National Security Advisor, Jefferson Karmah, now have a short breathing space, pending a legal conference at the Supreme Court of Liberia on the multi-million US dollars corruption suit hanging over them.
The Supreme Court Chambers Justice Yussif D. Kaba on August 26, 2024 paused the Economic Sabotage case involving five ex-officials of the Coalition for Democratic Change government after they filed a writ of prohibition.
The stay order reads, you are hereby ordered to stay all further proceedings in the case pending a conference scheduled for September 4, 2024.
This directive effectively suspends all legal proceedings and trial actions, granting temporary relief to the defendants, including Mr. Samuel D. Tweah, Former Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Cllr. Nyenati Tuan, former Acting Minister of Justice, Stanley S. Ford, Former Director of the Financial Intelligence Agency, D. Moses P. Cooper, Former Comptroller of the Financial Intelligence Agency, and Jefferson Karmoh, Former National Security Advisor.
But the accused former CDC officials including the former Finance Minister have insisted that they have done nothing wrong. Amid Court Arrest Order: Samuel Tweah Dismisses Corruption Charges As “Witch-Hunt” – News Public Trust
The order reads: “By directive of His Honor Yussif D. Kaba, Associate Justice presiding in Chambers, you are hereby cited to a conference with His Honor on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, at the hour of 11:30 a.m., in connection with the above captioned case.
Meanwhile, you are ordered to stay all further proceedings and/or actions pending the outcome of the conference.” Justice Kaba’s ruling follows a petition for a writ of prohibition filed before the Supreme Court by Cllr. Arthur Johnson, who argued that the government’s ongoing actions against the ex-officials could jeopardize future security operations and pose significant threat to state security.
At the inception of the case, the ex-officials of the CDC government were remanded at the Monrovia Central Prison where they spent over three nights after they failed to secure a bail.
It can be recalled on August 1,2024, the Monrovia City court presided over by Magistrate Ben L. Barco, August 1,2024 transferred the case to Criminal Court “A” over jurisdiction issue.
The court record reads, by directive of his Honor L. Ben Barco, stipendiary magistrate Monrovia city Magisterial Court, we are herewith forwarding you the case Republic of Liberia by and thru, the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission of the City of Monrovia, plaintiff vs. Samuel D. Tweh, former Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Cllr. Nyenati Tuan, former Acting Minister of Justice, Stanley S. Ford, former Director of the Financial Intelligence Agency, D. Moses P. Cooper, former controller, Financial Intelligence Agency and Jefferson Karmoh, former National Security Advisor and all of the city of Monrovia, Liberia.
However, an Interpol arrest warrant has been issued to have the former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah arrested and be brought under the jurisdiction of the court.
The Monrovia City Court on Monday July 29,2024, 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.
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.
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.
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.