Monrovia—Three former officials from the administration of ex-President George Weah spent their first night at the Monrovia Central Prison Tuesday after failing to secure a $6.5 million bail on Monday.
By: Victoria G. Wesseh, contributing writer
Cllr. Nyenati Tuan, the former acting Justice Minister, and Solicitor General; Moses P. Cooper, former Comptroller of the Financial Intelligence Agency; and Jefferson Karmoh, former national security advisor to President Weah, surrendered to the Monrovia City Court at the Temple of Justice, presided over by Magistrate L. Ben Barco. They face multiple criminal charges related to their roles in government.
The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) charged the defendants with misapplying LS1,055,152,540.00 and $500,000 from the Financial Intelligence Agency’s account at the Central Bank of Liberia. Based on the alleged embezzlement, the court set bail at $6.5 million.
Cllr. James Kumeh, one of the defense attorneys, expressed frustration over raising the required bail amount during an interview with journalists at the Temple of Justice.
He disclosed that the legal team had reached out to several family members and former government officials to help secure the funds.
The defendants face charges including economic sabotage, theft, illegal disbursement and expenditure of public funds, theft of property, criminal conspiracy, and facilitation. These charges arise from an investigation conducted by the LACC, which alleged a conspiracy to defraud the Government of Liberia.
The LACC’s report claims that in July 2023, the defendants, in collusion with co-defendant Stanley S. Ford, unlawfully made Ford a member of the National Security Council of Liberia, in violation of the National Security Act.
The report further alleges that the defendants, under the pretense of fulfilling their official duties, transferred funds from the Central Bank of Liberia to the Financial Intelligence Agency’s operational accounts.
These amounts, totaling LS1,055,152,540.00 and $500,000, were allegedly withdrawn shortly after the transfers without any record of how they were used, violating the New Penal Law of Liberia.
The LACC asserts that these actions were unlawful, intentional, and in violation of the New Penal Law, leading to the charges against the defendants.
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