Liberia: CDC Rebukes UP Secretary General, Demands Probe into 2023 Campaign Financing

Koijee challenges Amos Tweh to produce evidence of alleged CDC-cartel deal, raises questions over UAE travel and alleged campaign funding

By Gerald C. Koinyeneh

Monrovia — The political battle between Liberia’s two largest political parties has intensified, with the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) sharply rebuffing allegations by ruling Unity Party Secretary General Amos Tweh that the former CDC administration entered an agreement with international drug cartels to use Liberia as a cocaine transshipment point.

The latest exchange comes amid an ongoing investigation into Liberia’s largest cocaine seizure and mounting political demands for transparency over alleged links between drug-trafficking networks, political actors and state institutions.

Tweh made the allegation during the dedication of the Unity Party’s Nimba District #7 headquarters in Saclepea, Nimba County, accusing the CDC administration of facilitating Liberia’s use as a transshipment route for cocaine destined for Europe and other parts of the world.

According to Tweh, the alleged arrangement was made in 2018, when the CDC came to power, and allowed international drug networks to become deeply entrenched in Liberia between 2018 and 2023.

He argued that the Boakai administration has demonstrated greater political will in combating narcotics trafficking, pointing to the arrest and prosecution of more than 30 people allegedly connected to drug-related offenses.

Tweh also cited the detention of former Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor as evidence that the government is prepared to pursue suspects regardless of their political status.

He challenged the opposition’s criticism of the government’s drug crackdown, arguing that the CDC could not simultaneously demand aggressive action against drug traffickers while objecting when individuals associated with its political camp are investigated.

CDC: ‘THE MASK IS OFF’

But CDC Secretary General Jefferson Koijee has dismissed Tweh’s allegations as political hypocrisy and challenged the Unity Party official to produce evidence supporting his claim.

In a strongly worded response titled “The Mask Is Off!”, Koijee demanded that Tweh produce the alleged agreement between the CDC and international drug cartels.

“If Tweh has evidence that the CDC ‘signed a deal with Drug Cartels,’ let him produce the agreement, identify the cartel, name the signatories, state the date and place, and submit the evidence to investigators,” Koijee said.

He argued that without documentary evidence, Tweh’s allegation amounts to a political attempt to divert attention from questions surrounding the Unity Party and its leadership.

Koijee specifically called for an independent investigation into what he described as sponsored travel to the United Arab Emirates involving Tweh and Unity Party National Chairman Rev. Dr. J. Luther Tarpeh during the decisive period of the 2023 presidential campaign.

The CDC official alleged that the travel was linked to individuals and interests that the opposition has associated publicly with the cocaine investigation.

He also raised allegations involving President Joseph Boakai’s son, JoJo Boakai, demanding that he account for allegations and associations previously raised publicly in connection with what the CDC calls “Cocainegate.”

The allegations remain contested, and the CDC has not publicly established through a judicial finding that the individuals named were involved in cocaine trafficking or cartel activity.

CDC Demands Investigation into Alleged Campaign Funding

Koijee said the opposition’s demand for an independent investigation extends beyond the recent cocaine seizures to alleged financing of the 2023 political campaign.

He claimed the CDC has previously released what it considers documentary evidence concerning sponsored travel and alleged financial interests surrounding the Unity Party’s campaign.

Koijee called for investigators to establish who sponsored the travel, when and where meetings took place, and whether any individuals or entities connected to the alleged cocaine network provided financial support to the 2023 campaign.

He further referenced an alleged US$25 million in illicit campaign-related funding.

“The entire Government is involved,” Koijee alleged, while calling for investigators to follow the evidence wherever it leads.

‘Produce The Evidence’

The CDC Secretary General framed the dispute as a challenge to the Unity Party to substantiate its accusations rather than trade political claims.

He said the opposition would continue pressing for an independent investigation into alleged connections between political actors and drug-trafficking interests.

“We will continue to mount the pressure wherever it leads to,” Koijee said, adding that the CDC would pursue accountability for anyone it believes may have been compromised by alleged cocaine-cartel interests.

His response follows a broader call by the CDC for an independent investigation into transnational drug trafficking and allegations of cartel penetration of Liberia’s national security and state institutions.

Political Fight Over Cocaine Probe Deepens

The exchange between Tweh and Koijee further intensifies an already bitter political confrontation over Liberia’s cocaine crisis.

The Unity Party has portrayed the Boakai administration’s drug crackdown as evidence of political will and a commitment to equal application of the law.

The CDC, meanwhile, has accused the government of selectively prosecuting political opponents while failing to adequately investigate allegations involving individuals connected to the ruling establishment.

The latest confrontation has shifted the political debate from the handling of the cocaine seizures to questions surrounding campaign financing, international travel, alleged political-cartel connections and the integrity of Liberia’s security institutions.

At the heart of the dispute is a simple but consequential demand from both sides: produce the evidence.

While Tweh has accused the former CDC government of facilitating Liberia’s alleged emergence as a cocaine transshipment point, the CDC is demanding that he produce the agreement and documentary proof behind the accusation.

The opposition, in turn, wants an independent investigation into its allegations concerning the Unity Party’s 2023 campaign financing and alleged links to individuals implicated in the cocaine controversy.

With neither side backing down, the cocaine investigation is increasingly becoming a major political battleground ahead of Liberia’s next electoral cycle.