Former Liberian President George Weah has threatened to engage in civil disobedience following the arrest of five of his close allies for alleged corruption and abuse of public office. The arrest of Liberia’s ex-finance minister Samuel Tweah and four other former government officials has prompted an angry response from Weah, who says he will resist any attempts to indict them.
According to a complaint filed by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), the five individuals defrauded the government of millions of United States dollars during Weah’s presidency. The LACC report alleges that “at various times in September 2023, the defendants, in carrying out their diabolical scheme and conspiracy and under the pretense of discharging their duties as officials of the Joint Security of Liberia, unauthorised, criminally, willfully, illegally, knowingly and maliciously, with the intent to defraud the Government of Liberia, stole and converted to their own use and benefit, and did conspire, collude and made to be transferred, from the Central Bank of Liberia [CBL] to the operational accounts of the FIA the amounts of L$1,055,152,540 [$5.2m] and $500,000.”
A city court then ordered the arrest of Tweah, who was sanctioned by the US last year, as well as four other former officials: Jefferson Karmoh (former national security adviser), Nyenati Tuan (former acting justice minister), Moses Cooper (former comptroller at the Finance Intelligence Agency–FIA), and Stanley S. Ford (former director general at the FIA). Karmoh, Tuan and Cooper have been detained at the Monrovia Central Prison, while Tweah and Ford are yet to be arrested as the police are unsure of their whereabouts.
Weah, who has not made any public statement since conceding defeat in the November 2023 election, claims that the actions against the ex-officials were taken without any indictment by a grand jury. The former international footballer alleges that the arrests are an attempt by President Joseph Boakai’s administration to undermine the rule of law and security of the state.
“Mr. Boakai, your actions to politicise justice will be resisted and resisted strongly,” Weah said at a press conference on Wednesday, accusing the president of leading a “witch hunt.” However, the Liberian government has refuted Weah’s allegations, with Information Minister Jerolinmek M. Piah arguing that “all the folks at the LACC whose work led to this indictment were not appointed by President Boakai, they were appointed by the former president.”
Weah has announced that his Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party will be briefing its partisans in the coming days over the “dangerous games of witch hunt” by the ruling Unity Party. He has urged members of the opposition to join him in his quest “to preserve our political system,” vowing to use “all
legal and political means at its disposal to resist this move to weaponise the country’s judicial system to its selfish advantage”.
Former president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, without directly mentioning the arrest of the five former Weah officials, has argued that “the fight against corruption requires more than exposure and punishment.” She stated that “when people are accused of wrongdoings, they should have their days in court to clear their names” and that “we should also demand a cultural shift towards discipline and patriotism.”
Meanwhile, President Boakai has suspended the governor of the Central Bank, Aloysius Tarlue, Jr., following the release of a critical audit report by the General Auditing Commission, which highlighted significant financial irregularities and compliance issues at the CBL under Tarlue’s watch. Weah has criticized this move, claiming that “the president again showed to the nation that he is not a man who respects the rule of law when he sought to illegally remove the governor of the Central Bank of Liberia in clear violation of the act creating said institution”.
Anderson D. Miamen, an independent analyst and the executive director of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia, has expressed support for the government’s actions, stating that “the rule of law has to be upheld” and that “when people are accused, they should have their days in court and that is the only way we can address the culture of impunity.” Miamen has encouraged the LACC to continue its efforts to curb corruption in the country, arguing that “we don’t see it as a witch hunt.”
YOU MAY ALSO READ: Rwanda closes 185 churches for risking worshippers’ lives