Liberia's former Finance and Development Planning Minister, Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., faces Police interrogation over the death of the Head of the Internal Auditing Agency Emmanuel Barthan Nyeswa days after he filed US8 Million criminal bond in a separate charge.
Tweah, who also faces multiple charges along with several other form officials for alleged corruption, was invited to the Liberian National Police Headquarters on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, for questioning through the LNP's Cold Case Unit in connection to the death of Barthan Nyeswa on October 10, 2020.
He was invited along with other former Ministers of the former Weah administration, including ex-minister of Health, former National Port Authority (NPA) Managing Director, now Senator Bill Tweahway, and others, for questioning in connection to the mysterious death of the late IAA boss, who was reported to have fallen from the balcony of his residence.
Mr. Tweah was represented by a team of lawyers at the National Police Headquarters Wednesday.
Nyeswa's lifeless body was found in his yard in the 72nd community, Paynesville, outside Monrovia.
After his mysterious death, the official account said he had fallen from the balcony of his home at night after returning from an entertainment center in Monrovia's Congo Town suburb.
Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman told a news conference that they had invited several persons of interest and held interviews with them in connection to the death of Mr. Nyeswa.
Those persons of interest invited include Cllr. Norris Tweh, Dr. Emmanuel Wreh, Mr. James Thompson, Ms. Tina J. Mort, Mr. Gibson H. Tumbay, Mr. Robert S.M. Ketter, Mr. Musa Sesay, Ms. Hawa Mienwipia, Ms Florence Zeanbaon and Mr. Joe Tokpah.
In coming weeks, the LNP says it has also invited and requested the appearance of other persons of interest to provide pertinent information to its team of investigators in the Cold Case Unit Crime Service Department regarding their presence at the JKF Memorial Hospital immediately after the incident.
They include former Health Minister Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah, former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweh, former National Port Authority Managing Director Bill Twehway, now Senator of Rivercess County, and Mr. Teakon Williams.
In another development, Criminal Court C at the Temple of Justice issued a writ of Ne-Exeat Republica on former minister Tweah, former Solicitor General Nyanti Tuan, Stanley S. Ford, former Director General of the Financial Intelligence Agency, D. Moses Cooper, former Comptroller General of the Financial Intelligence Agency, and Jefferson Karmoh, former national security advisor to Ex-President George Weah, on October 1, 2024.
The writ says, whereas his Honor had represented it, Judge Blamo Dixon, resident Circuit, first Judicial Circuit Court Assizes "C" for Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia, sitting in its August A.D 2024 term that the petitioner Republic of Liberia thru the Ministry of Justice herein filed before this court an application for the Ne-Exeat Republic that defendants herein the above-captioned case are about to leave from the bailiwick of Liberia to foreign parts to the surprise of the petitioner/plaintiff and the Assigned Judge, having been duly stratified upon the application filed by the petitioner, orders writ of Ne-exeat Republica issued.
According to the writ, the defendants should only be arrested if they leave the country's bailiwick without court permission.
"You are further commanded to arrest the living bodies of the defendants named above captioned case and forthwith bring them before this court upon their arrest and subsequently take their passports and return same over to the sheriff of Criminal Court "C" Tina D. Morring for Montserrado County, if they are attempting to leave the bailiwick of the country," the court orders.
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However, if the court is closed and defendants cannot be submitted to it, they shall be committed or held until the next working day and hour, when they shall have been brought before the court, except the defendants produce a court clearance authorizing their departure from the country's bailiwick.
Tweah recently filed a US$8 million criminal bond through his lawyer before Criminal Court 'C' at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia and was released by His Honour, Judge A. Blamo Dixon, pending trial.
He expected to come to court on November 12, 2024, for a hearing in a separate case.
