Published: April 21, 2026
Monrovia -- Former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah Jr. told a court Monday that the government transfers at the heart of his prosecution were standard practice, citing millions of dollars in prior Central Bank transactions as evidence the charges against him lack legal foundation.
Under direct examination by lead counsel Arthur Johnson, Tweah systematically challenged key pillars of the indictment, exposing, the defense said, fundamental legal and factual weaknesses.
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Tweah structured his testimony around "six observations" drawn from the indictment, focusing on four on Monday: that no request originated from national security actors; that he lacked lawful authority; that the transfers through the Central Bank were illegal; and that he conspired with former Acting Justice Minister Nyanti Tuan.
Drawing on his role as a former member of the National Security Council, Tweah wove public finance law with national security governance to offer a detailed explanation of ministerial authority under Liberia's Public Financial Management framework.
At the heart of his testimony was a direct challenge to the prosecution's explanation of how public funds are activated. Tweah told the court that for budgeted expenses, the legal trigger is the approval of the national budget, not a payment request. For non-budgeted or emergency expenses, the trigger is government consensus in response to urgency, rather than formal documentation.
He argued that requests may or may not exist depending on circumstances, directly undermining the prosecution's reliance on the alleged absence of documentation.
In one of the most significant moments of the hearing, Tweah provided clear examples of previous government direct transfers made through the Central Bank: over $15 million to the National Elections Commission; $25 million to the World Food Programme for COVID-19 food assistance; and $1 million to UNFPA for the 2022 National Census. He asserted that these transactions were carried out using the same mechanisms that the prosecution now claims are illegal.
"This is not an anomaly -- it is established government practice," the defense argued.
When the defense moved to subpoena the CBL governor to authenticate documentary instructions underlying those transfers, the prosecution objected on grounds of irrelevance. Presiding Judge Feika overruled the objection and ordered the subpoena issued.
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The governor, or a designated representative, is now expected to appear in court to verify the authenticity of photocopied documents already submitted into evidence.
Court is set to resume at 10 a.m., with Tweah continuing his testimony.
