Tweah Vows To Defeat ‘Political Witch-Hunt’ -UP Unseals Arrest Orders, 2 CDC Officials Already Canned

MONROVIA: In the very first week of President Joseph Boakai’s Unity Party Government, when ordinary civil servants alarmed that they were being put down from job due to their perceived association with the erstwhile ruling Coalition for Democratic Change, fears of political reprisal filled the air. Former government officials began to brace themselves, and the nation became flustered, all due to the whirlwind of political division and witch-hunt that was seen arising over the horizon. It was not long when the armors of pro-integrity legislations placed over tenured positions were being lacerated by the new Government for the purpose of framing the alibi upon which to torpedoed the protected officials out of their jobs. And they did. What looks like a new phase of what many pundits call the “a tornado of witch-hunt”—others in support of the actions call it political and economic cleansing up process—has come with writs of arrests falling upon ex-CDC officials like snow falling from the artic. With two ex-officials of CDC now dragged into government custody, one other, former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., says “politically motivated witch-hunt is launched” on his person but he is ready to face his accusers, and vowing to defeat them facedown. As The Analyst reports, condemnations have begun to rise, with CDC’s Chief Scribe making a deafening bark at the arrest orders.

The Unity Party Government, perhaps in its drive to enforce the ARREST agenda, specifically its rule of law and anti-corruption pillar, has uncapped a number of arrest orders for several bigwigs of the former ruling Coalition for Democratic Change government.

The Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, through the Monrovia City Court, have sent out arrest orders for former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah, former Deputy Justice Minister and former Solicitor General Cllr. Nyenati Tuan, former director of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) Stanley Ford, former controller of the FIA Moses Copper and former national security advisor Jefferson Karmoh.

In the Writ of Arrest, the Government is charging the former CDC officials for economic sabotage, misuse of public money, theft and illegal disbursement of public money, theft of property and criminal conspiracy.

Already the Monrovia City Court Monday July 29,2024, sent to jailed former Liberia Solicitor General Cllr. Nyanti Tuan, the National Security Advisor to former President George Weah, Jefferson Karmon and former Controller of the Financial Intelligence Agency D. Moses P. Cooper.

Accordingly, their incarceration was 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.

Tweah Reacts: ‘I will defeat them’

Former Finance Minister in the George Weah CDC government, Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., who is also on the list of individuals charged has issued a swift reaction, first alerting fellow Liberians, partisans, friends and family about “a politically motivated witch-hunt being officially launched against my person, calling for my arrest”.

On his official social media page, Tweah refreshed minds that over the last six years, he was a major political target and has “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 besmirch my reputation and derail my political institution”.

Tweah wrote: “Today, the Unity Party, facing massive allegations of ongoing corruption, including a UP government-sanctioned  CBL payment of US$8 million of Liberia reserve money to SIB bank which funded the UP campaign (read FPA story today), shamelessly turning a blind eye to mountains of audit reports detailing the gutting of the Liberian Treasury under its 12-year  rule, and experiencing very low public rating due to its six-month failures as a Government, has decided to politically witch-hunt me and former officials of the CDC.”

He however informed the public that he was working with his lawyers and others.

“I stand ready to defeat this witch-hunt and vindicate my reputation through the justice system,” the CDC ideologue vowed.

“In the end,” he bragged, “I will emerge stronger and my enemies will be put to shame! May we all work for a fairer and better Liberia!”

CDC SG Barks Furiously

His top partisans, as well as party’s integrity, under attack, opposition Coalition for Democratic Change Secretary General has vehemently decried the legal and political onslaught unleashed by chief rival Unity Party.

In a statement, Jefferson T. Koijee warned that the peace of Liberia is bigger than President Joseph Boakai “and his shameless and spineless risky mission”.

The former CDC Lord Mayor of the City of Monrovia asserted that any attempt to politicize the peace and weaponize the Judiciary would be defaced and met with stiff resistance.

“The Liberian ‘Mohammed Morsi’ is in the making,” the CDC firebrand Chief Scribe said, in apparent mock of President Boakai – comparing the president with former Egyptian president Morsi credited for dictatorial tendencies.

He however called on all citizens and partisans of the CDC in particular to remain calm, as “the National Executive Committee of the Party is in full control of the fruitless and senseless attempt of the Unity party to undermine the hard-earned credibility of the then CDC led government.”

“The UP will be defaced and vanquished subsequently,” he further foamed, adding, “Indeed, the return of a great come back of the people’s revolution is definitely certain.”

Court Writ Adds

In ordering the Sheriff to effect the writs of arrests on the former CDC officials, the Monrovia City stated: “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 Court further added: “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.”