A court in Monrovia has issued a writ compelling the Clar Hope Foundation owned by the wife of former President George Weah to produce financial and contractual documents tied to a multi-purpose complex in Marshall, Margibi County, as prosecutors continue to examine whether public funds were diverted to the project.
The writ of subpoena duces tecum, issued Tuesday, commands the foundation’s management — including General Manager and deputies — to appear before the court on 23 January 2026.
The order demands that the foundation make available “all documents, including financial records, relating to the construction” of the complex.
Investigators from the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force, opened the inquiry amid allegations of corruption, including the diversion and misuse of public funds.
AREPT has requested records showing funds received from individuals, government institutions and other donors for the construction and operation of the foundation’s City of Hope project.
In November 2025 the court issued a similar subpoena to the engineering firm Building Material Center to hand over invoices, contracts, payment records and related correspondence linked to the City of Hope construction.
Authorities say the documents sought from both the foundation and BMC could clarify financial flows and reveal any irregularities that might justify legal steps to recover or seize assets connected to the project. The court orders themselves do not mandate seizure but are part of an intensified judicial review that could lead to recovery actions if evidence of misuse is found.
Founded in June 2018 by then First Lady Clar Weah, the Clar Hope Foundation is presented on its website as a non-political organization focused on health, education and empowerment for women, children, youth and the elderly. Its City of Hope facility is described as a large-scale center offering education, vocational training and shelter to vulnerable Liberians, including orphans and street girls.
The foundation has denied using state funds for the project and has said it is willing to cooperate with the investigation. AREPT officials said they believe records held by both the foundation and BMC are necessary to determine the source of funds and whether any public resources were diverted.
The Clar Hope inquiry has renewed calls for scrutiny of other foundations associated with senior officials — including President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s JNB Foundation, the Jewel Starfish Foundation, Nyonblee Cares, the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development, and the Kartumu Yarta Boakai Foundation — amid criticisms that many such groups do not publish detailed accounts of their funding and expenditures.
Critics say that opacity raises the risk that public resources or influence could be channeled into ostensibly private entities. For now only the Weah’s under probe.
