By Festus Poquie
A Trial judge has opened a formal probe into alleged jury tampering linked to last week’s acquittal of former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah in a $6.2 million corruption case, a move that keeps pressure on prosecutors seeking to overturn the verdict and secure a retrial.
Criminal Court C Judge Ousman Feika on Tuesday said he had launched an inquiry after three of the 15 jurors who heard the trial filed complaints nearly two weeks after the unanimous not-guilty verdict in the trial that drew national attention.
The jurors alleged inappropriate conduct, including hosting gatherings before and after the hearings, according to court documents.
Judge Feika summoned opposing lawyers for a hearing on Wednesday. He is obliged under court rules to consider the complaints on their merits.
Officials aligned with President Joseph Boakai’s administration and the ruling Unity Party have publicly pushed for the verdict to be set aside and for a new trial to be ordered.
The judge has asked that all jurors who served be available to the probe.
In July 2024, Tweah and four other senior officials from the previous George Weah administration were slapped with charges including economic sabotage, illegal disbursement of public funds, criminal conspiracy and money laundering.
Prosecutors had alleged transfers from accounts associated with national security agencies totaling as much as $500,000 and L$1 billion in local currency that prosecutors said never reached targeted public entities.
Tweah, who served as finance and development planning minister from 2018 to 2024, and the officer in charge of the Financial Intelligence Agency were acquitted by the 15-member jury, which rendered a unanimous not-guilty verdict.
The trial produced hung verdicts for the Financial Intelligence Unit head Stanley Ford. Two other defendants were found guilty.
The acquittal has stirred political backlash. Unity Party youth activists demanded the dismissal of the justice minister and criticized the verdict as a failure of accountability.
Justice Minister Oswald Tweh called the findings “a victory for the state,” saying two senior officials were found guilty or produced unresolved outcomes, and accepted responsibility for prosecutorial shortcomings.
Legal analysts said the judge’s decision to probe juror conduct will be closely watched. If the court finds substantive irregularities that could have affected the verdict, it could provide legal grounds for setting aside the ruling and ordering a retrial — the very outcome senior ruling-party figures have been urging.
