At Least Three Ex-Officials of Government Jailed for Economic Sabotage
By: Laymah Kollie
Monrovia-: The fight against corruption has intensified as top former government officials are being arrested and sent to jail on allegation of economic sabotage.
Those arrested are: former Solicitor General Nyenati Tuan, former Comptroller of the Financial Intelligence Agency Moses Cooper and former Security Advisor Jefferson Karmoh.
Their arrest comes following a joint Writ from the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission ordering the arrest of five former Government Officials, including Nyanti Tuan, Jefferson Karmoh, Moses Cooper, Finance Minister Samuel Tweah, and Stanley Ford, Director of the FIA.
“You are hereby commanded to arrest the living bodies of Samuel D. Tweah, former Minister of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), Clir. Nycnati 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 of Liberia 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”.
According to the Writ, in July 2023, the defendants connived with Stanley Ford and made him member of the National Security Council.
In September of the same year, the defendants were accused of illegally withdrawing more than US$500-thousand and 1-million Liberia dollars for their personal use.
“That in an elaborate scheme and conspiracy to defraud the Govemment 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 Govemment 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 operational accounts of the FIA the amounts of LS1,055,152,540.00
and USS5000,000.00. The amounts of LS1,055.145,040.00 an 10,000.00 were subsequently withdrawn either on the same day or few 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 Ex-Officials were charged with the following crimes: Economic Sabotage, Misuse of Public Money, Property or Record, illegal Disbursement of Public Money, Theft of Property, Criminal Facilitation and Criminal Conspiracy. The charges are inline with section 15.80 (a) (b) (c), Section 15.81 (c), and Section 15.82 of the New Penal Code of Liberia.
However, it is believed that Former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah and Former FIA boss Stanley Ford are currently out of the country.
Meanwhile, Tweah has classified his arrest as a witch-hunt to his person. The former Minister few minutes after the issuance of the writ took to his Facebook page to express his dissatisfaction currently being allegedly carried out on his person.
