Indicted former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah on Wednesday, September 25, surrendered himself to Criminal Court 'C' and was later bailed after being charged for looting the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) of millions of United States dollars, according to the indictment of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).
Defendant Tweah, however, spent about 20 minutes on the prisoner's bench.
It was an extraordinary scene: a former Finance Minister who returned to Liberia and surrendered to the court with sympathizers, mainly of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), crowded the courtroom.
The case is the first brought against defendant Tweah this year, but Wednesday was the first time that he appeared in the courtroom.
The former Finance Minister's bond in the case was set at US$8 million on Wednesday. He then used his property to post his bond.
In a last minute shake-up of his legal team before he surrendered on Wednesday, Tweah hired James Kumeh, a veteran criminal defense lawyer whose clients have included the defendants in the US$100 million cocaine case.
In a filing to the court, Cllr. Kumeh said he was now "one of several counsels of record for Samuel Tweah."
Lawyers on both sides of the case argued the bond on Wednesday, but Judge Blamo Dixon granted it.
Cllr. Richard Scott, Montserrado County Attorney, who is prosecuting the case, asked a judge that they were not in position to speak about the bond because it has neither been submitted to the court nor served on them.
Despite Scott's contention of the bond, Judge Dixon said, the bond is in the tune of US$8 million.
"The court is obliged to approve the said bond and have the said co-defendant released from prisoner Bench and from further detention," Dixon said to the disagreements of the prosecution.
Dixon explained that the court refused to have the defendant detained at the Monrovia Central Prison because he had filed a bond in the presence of his lawyers. And, he was out of the bailiwick of the Republic of Liberia and has just arrived in the country with his bond in the hands of his lawyers.
Strangely, Dixon was heard openly advising Tweah that he is also entitled to remain silent and that any word spoken out of his mouth could be used against him in the Court of law.
"Defendant is also entitled to a lawyer or lawyers of his own choice and he is entitled to continuance, Motion for change of venue, if he so desire, and he is also entitled to a Motion to Recuse the Judge, if he also so desire," Dixon said to Tweah.
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He continues, "The Defense is entitled to all rights provided for under the Law of Liberia and such other rights that will be explained to him by his team of Lawyers."
Approving the bond and setting the trial date, Dixon said, "the bond of the defendant is hereby approved and the defendant is to appear in court on November 12, 2024 upon the opening of court for the November Term of Court, A.D. 2024." He stressed: "The sheriff is hereby ordered to remove the Defendant from Prisoner Bench."
