Liberia-Former President George Manneh Weah stunned the nation with an accusatory statement on current affairs of state, particularly the indictment, arrest and suspension of former and current government officials on allegation of corruption, vowing that the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) of which is the Political leader will, through legal and political means, resist move by the Unity Party Government to weaponize the country's judicial system to its selfish advantage.
Many Liberians believe Weah's statement which comes amidst an already heightened paranoid and politically-charged atmosphere is likely to further deepen and inflame situations for which he himself has been calling for calm.
Much remains at stake since the end of the legislative and presidential elections which the CDC lost under what they still considered as yet-to-understand circumstances, a defeat the party is still badly nursing.
In a statement Wednesday at the CDC Headquarters and flanked by high-ranking members of the CDC, Weah sounded so bellicose and pugilistic, asserting: "Yes Mr. Boakai, your actions to politicize justice will be resisted and resisted strongly."
In his view and that of the CDC, current indictment of former officials is a tacit execution of evil plans by the UP-led administration, choosing to ignore legal and constitutional reliance, available evidence and pursue reckless measures.
The former peace Ambassador who prided his six years in office of being a peaceful man reminded the government that "these antics have only brought about disorder and confusion in Liberia's recent history."
Ex-President Weah tried to provide some tutorials on the national security laws of the country, which according to him "plainly stipulate the measures that must be taken to safeguard public order, and in a post-conflict nation such as ours, it becomes an even more challenging task."
He stated that intelligence gathering and operations the world over have always been of prime concern and pre-eminence, requiring authorities to exert extra efforts and resources to preserve peace and security.
Claiming that the UP administration is attempting to exploit the legal system and risk fomenting chaos, he said it tells the extent some politicians are willing to go just to maintain power.
The former Liberian leader said the CDC sought not to tread such path when it maintained the stability of the country against all odds, including spearheading a peaceful transition of power to President Boakai in spite of a hard-fought and close election.
While assuring Liberians that he will continue to engage with leaders of ECOWAS whose countries sacrificed blood and tears for the attainment and sustenance of peace and security in Liberia, he also indicated that the international community and partners will be notified of the UP government's plan to capture the political system in its favor.
Former President Weah equally condemned what he termed as unlawful detentions of some former officials of government, describing it a political move intended to target the CDC and the wider opposition community.
He claimed that four former members of the National Security Council who he did not name were detained by the UP-government in an action taken void of any indictment by a grand jury, terming it "the latest transgression of the Boakai Administration in their callous attempt to undermine the rule of law and security of the state."
According to him, the political detentions have shown the lack of foresight and total disregard on the part of Boakai and his confidantes, caring less about the consequences of their actions, as it serves their narrow political interests.
The former President also accused the ruling establishment of harassing and removing civil servants from the system based purely along party lines, excessive use of force against citizens results in several deaths, non-prosecution of election-related deaths that occurred on camera.
He also said the administration displayed total disregard for the tenure laws of the country even in the face of the Supreme Court's rulings as well as the broad day violations of the procurement laws of the country, and the disgrace and denial of benefits of duly commissioned Foreign Service officials.
In the face of all of these, ex-President claimed that President Boakai has shown 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.
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President Boakai Tuesday suspended CBL Aloysius Tarlue on account of findings of a General Auditing Commission (GAC) audits, which largely claimed the suspended governor did not adhere to set regulations and compliance regimes.
The former Liberian leader said such move is intended to divert public attention from the lingering economic crisis the nation faces and the uncovering of government's use of public funds from the CBL to bailout a private bank which the Unity Party used to finance its election campaign.
He urged the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission to utilize its new powers to fight corruption effectively, and must treat all audit reports from the GAC equally without cherry-picking to ensure fairness and transparency.
Ex-President Weah accordingly warned that skipping previous GAC audit reports and cherry-picking to target only officials of his administration undermines the fight against corruption, calling on the Liberian people to see such move as a weaponization of the LACC to witch-hunt officials of his administration.
