Several high-ranking officials of the erstwhile George Weah administration have been indicted for their alleged role in the misappropriation of national security funds.
The indictment, issued Monday by the Liberian government through the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), implicates a number of prominent figures, including former Solicitor General Cllr. Nyenati Tuan, former Comptroller of the Financial Intelligence Unit (now the Financial Intelligence Agency) D. Moses P. Cooper, former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah, former Director General of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) Stanley Ford, and Jefferson Karmoh, the former National Security Advisor to President Weah.
According to the court documents, the defendants are accused of an “elaborate scheme to defraud the Government of Liberia” by conspiring to transfer large sums of money from the Central Bank of Liberia to the operational accounts of the FIA under false pretenses.
It is alleged that the defendants transferred 1.055 billion Liberian dollars and $500,000 USD from the Central Bank to the FIA’s accounts, which were then allegedly withdrawn on the same day without any record of how the funds were used for their intended purpose of national security operations.
“This is a blatant abuse of public trust and a serious breach of the law,” said the head of the LACC. “The people of Liberia deserve to know that their tax dollars are being used responsibly and for the betterment of the country, not for personal gain.”
Three of the defendants, Jefferson Karmoh, Cllr. Tuan and D. Moses Cooper, have already been arrested and transferred to prison after failing to provide the required criminal appearance bond. The other defendants, including former Finance Minister Tweah, are expected to face the courts in the coming days.