A Liberian trial judge has set aside a not-guilty verdict that acquitted former Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel Tweah, after an investigation found that members of the jury violated court rules by using mobile phones while sequestered.
The nearing linked the state to the phone allowance, and the Judge Osuman Feika did not find the defendants neither the defense team of committing any wrongdoing.
The Criminal Court C judge recalled the 15-member jury more than a week after Tweah’s May 8 acquittal, following complaints from three jurors alleging misconduct and tampering.
The court later found that jurors had access to phones during the trial and had communicated with people outside the jury quarters, based on telephone records obtained from Orange Liberia and Lonestar MTN.
The judge ordered the jurors handcuffed and sent to Monrovia Central Prison and referred them to the Ministry of Justice for possible prosecution, according to the court’s ruling.
The investigation also found that some jurors discussed the case before formal deliberations, which the court said violated their oath and raised questions about their impartiality.
Tweah and his allies have portrayed the matter as politically motivated. One juror, speaking after the ruling, denied being tampered with and said she was being punished for serving the country.
Tweah also accused Vice President Jeremiah Koung of pressuring the judge to overturn the acquittal, an allegation Koung had not publicly addressed more than 24 hours later.
After the ruling, Tweah issued a statement rejecting the court’s decision and saying he would not return to the Supreme Court.
“Today, Liberian justice and democracy took a gigantic step backwards,” Tweah said. “No judge, no justice and no President can ever change my NOT GUILTY verdict. It is etched in the history of our country.”
He called the ruling a “kangaroo farce” and said his legal journey had ended with the original verdict.
Tweah’s lawyer said the decision was “strange,” outside legal practice and unconstitutional. They announced appeal with the Supreme Court.
