Former Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel Tweah returned to Liberia on Tuesday to face charges over national security spending.
Tweah, a prominent figure in the previous George Weah administration, Wednesday morning appeared before Criminal Court C Judge Blamo Dixon at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, accompanied by his legal team.
During the proceeding, Tweah posted an $8 million bail bond, which was accepted by the judge without objection from the prosecution.
The full trial is set to resume on November 12 this year, as announced by Judge Dixon. The Ex-Finance Minister was indicted on July 28 along with three top members of former President George Weah’s national security team.
Prior to his return, Tweah had lashed out against what he described as a “politically motivated witch-hunt” against him and other former officials of the Weah administration.
In a fiery statement, Tweah accused the ruling Unity Party Alliance of orchestrating the indictment to tarnish his reputation and “derail” his political ambitions.
Tweah claimed that the charges against him are nothing more than “falsely devilish accusations” and “fabrications” intended to besmirch his character.
He alleged that the Unity Party, which recently gained power at the expense of Weah’s Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government, is now facing its own corruption allegations and using the indictment as a distraction.
Despite the gravity of the charges, Tweah has vowed to “defeat this witch-hunt” and “vindicate” his reputation through the justice system. He expressed confidence that he will “emerge stronger” and that his “enemies will be put to shame.”
According to the court documents, Tweah and several other high-ranking figures, including the former Solicitor General and the ex-Director General of the Financial Intelligence Agency, are accused of an “elaborate scheme to defraud the Government of Liberia.”
The defendants are alleged to have conspired to transfer large sums of money from the Central Bank of Liberia to the operational accounts of the FIA under false pretenses, with the funds allegedly withdrawn on the same day without any record of how they were used for their intended purpose of national security operations.
