Tweah et al, Prosecution Cited at SC Conference Today -In Compliance with Defendants’ Writ of Prohibition 

MONROVIA – Today, Monday, at exactly 9:00 a.m., the Supreme Court (SC) of Liberia will host a conference and listen to the prosecution and defense sides in the case filed by the Government of Liberia against former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah and others for financial improprieties regarding illegal withdrawals from the Central Bank of Liberia accounts under the guise of national security interests during the 2023 presidential and general elections. 

The SC’s decision comes in the wake of a recent writ of prohibition filed by the defendants against the Montserrado Circuit Court Judge Roosevelt Willie’s ruling to continue hearing into the alleged corruption case involving Samuel D. Tweah, former Minister of Finance and Development Planning; Cllr. Nyenati Tuan, former acting Minister of Justice; Stanley S. Ford, former Director of Financial Intelligence Agency; D. Moses P. Cooper, former Comptroller, Financial Intelligence Agency, and Jefferson Karmoh, former National Security Advisor.

The Presiding Chamber Justice at the Supreme Court has therefore temporarily halted Judge Roosevelt Willie of Criminal Court ‘C’ from proceeding with the US$6.1 million corruption case involving former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah and others, a day before the conclusion of the selection of the fifteen potential jurors.

It can be recalled that on February 24, 2025, the defendants prayed that the case be dismissed. They argued that they were protected under an Executive mandate which demands allegiance to secrecy and stops their prosecution for any actions taken in the interest of national security.

The motion by Cllr. Arthur Johnson was denied on February 28, 2025, and the judge ruled that the case should proceed. Judge Willie in his ruling said the court had the authority to hear the case based on existing legal provisions and the totality of circumstances.

According to Judge Willie, the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) did not establish any proof or documentary evidence such as instruction or letter of request from the National Joint Security or the FIA or through a Joint Security Resolution or from the former President to Co-Defendant/Co-Movant Tweah, for which he (Co-Defendant) approved and subsequently ordered the transferred of the above mentioned amounts to the FIA’s account.

He further indicated that predicated upon these actions by the defendants, the LACC, through the Ministry of Justice is alleging that the defendants acted outside of the privilege provided to agents of the President in Article 61 of the 1986 Constitution and therefore, cannot enjoy this privilege for which they must answer and the only place to answer is the court-Criminal Court “C”.

The judge told the hearing that the case cannot be dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, based on the facts, circumstances and the laws cited therein and therefore, prosecution must be given the opportunity to prove their case. “Hence, the Motion to Dismiss is hereby denied and the case is ordered proceeded forthwith” Judge Willie ruled, noting that the LACC had not produced sufficient evidence to justify the dismissal charges on jurisdictional grounds. “The prosecution must be given the opportunity to prove their case,” Judge Willie declared in his ruling. “Hence, the case is ordered to proceed forthwith,” he said.