Monrovia — The opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) has highlighted the return of its senior member and former Finance Minister, Samuel D. Tweah, to face court charges as a demonstration of the party's commitment to upholding the rule of law in Liberia.
Mr. Tweah returned to the country from exile through the Roberts International Airport in Margibi County early Wednesday, September 25, 2024. He subsequently turned himself in at Criminal Court "C" at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia.
Tweah, along with former National Security Advisor Jefferson Karmoh and former Solicitor General, Cllr. Nyanti Tuan, faces multiple charges, including economic sabotage, fraud, and criminal conspiracy.
The former Minister of Finance and Development Planning was later released on a US$8 million bond to return on November 12, 2024, for further legal proceedings.
Addressing a news conference at the CDC headquarters in Congo Town following Mr. Tweah's return from the court, the party's National Chair, Atty. Janga Augustus Kowo, asserted that the charges against Mr. Tweah are unsubstantiated.
"As you're aware, the former Minister of Finance and Development Planning and a senior member of our party has arrived in the country to face the justice system; his arrival is a testament to the CDC's commitment to the rule of law," he said.
He emphasized that the criminal charges against Mr. Tweah lack all legal and evidential backing to find him guilty. "Now he's here; let's see how their political witch-hunt survives," he added.
At the same time, Atty. Kowo called on the Unity Party government to thoroughly execute all audit reports currently at the General Auditing Commission (GAC) from the 12 years of the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf regime, during which current President Joseph Nyuma Boakai served as Vice President.
"If you're serious about fighting corruption, you need to begin by addressing the damaging audit reports by the GAC from the 12 years the UP government was before the former Coalition for Democratic Change," he stated.
Moreover, the CDC National Chair strongly condemned the Boakai-Koung regime for allegedly appointing individuals accused of violence against peaceful citizens to national and local government positions.
He recalled incidents from the 2023 campaign season where CDC members and supporters were reportedly tortured, chased, and killed by individuals believed to be members of the ruling Unity Party.
"Those who allegedly killed peaceful citizens, including our partisans, were arrested and following legal process, jailed, but immediately after the UP government came to power, they were freed from prison and further awarded government jobs for killing innocent Liberians," Atty. Kowo stressed.
He specifically referenced Queen Johnson, a member of the Unity Party, who reportedly facilitated the mobbing of Solomon Joshua during a political engagement in Montserrado County, leading to his untimely death. "Queen Johnson was on camera holding down Joshua, while other UP partisans beat him until he later died, but she's now appointed at the National Port Authority (NPA)."
The CDC condemned the current regime's reported acts as a celebration of "killers," who allegedly murdered citizens in Lofa County in defense of President Boakai.
"Queen Johnson's appointment is a total disregard for the rule of law, having been caught on camera facilitating the killing of Joshua. Others involved in the murder of peaceful citizens in Lofa County were also appointed," the CDC Chair said.
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He further described the government's manner of dispensing justice as undemocratic, anti-justice, and a recipe for chaos in the country. Atty. Kowo recounted that the CDC wrote to the Ministry of Justice a few months ago to commission a thorough investigation into these documented acts, but the regime has yet to act.
According to him, the government's refusal to address these issues has prompted the CDC to organize a series of protest actions across Liberia to pressure the administration to address these grave concerns.
"We will organize a series of protests to demand justice because this government has no regard for the rule of law. We will resist this kind of bad governance, which involves serious human rights violations," Atty. Kowo emphasized.
