What began as a jury tampering inquiry into the acquittal of former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah Jr. has escalated into claims of a personal relationship between the jury forelady and Liberia's Solicitor General, even as all 12 jurors insist outside influence did not sway their decision.
The probe at Criminal Court 'C' was launched after complaints from three jurors following Tweah's May 8, 2026, acquittal on all counts, including economic sabotage, theft of public funds, and money laundering in a $6.2M case.
Testimony has now shifted from cell phone use during sequestration to the conduct of the jury forelady. A source familiar with closed hearings said one female juror testified that panel members repeatedly heard the forelady disclose that Solicitor General Cllr. Augustine C. Fayiah was her boyfriend. The juror alleged the forelady "spoke about him every day," complimenting his appearance and dress.
Political tensions inside the deliberation room also surfaced. According to accounts given to the court, the forelady told colleagues that the CDC "harmonized" her and her son during her time at the Ministry of Finance -- language locally used to describe intimidation or coercion.
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In turn, another juror who filed a complaint was accused by peers of holding a grudge against the CDC over the alleged killing of her father-in-law. That juror reportedly expressed admiration for the late Montserrado County lawmaker Solomon George.
Cllr. Augustine Fayiah appeared before investigators and rejected any suggestion of a relationship with the forelady. "There is no truth to that allegation," he testified. Fayiah led the prosecution and had publicly projected confidence in the government's case before the verdict. After the acquittal, he told reporters, "Justice has been served... This is not for us to decide; the court has decided".
Sequestration Breaches vs. Tampering
The source said the three complaining jurors admitted they and others made calls home while sequestered -- calls they swore weren't case-related. The other jurors, except those three, told investigators they never carried phones or made calls.
Conflicting reports have emerged on the scope. One court officer account claimed at least three of 15 jurors told the judge they received calls/texts during sequestration, and that 8+ phones were in jurors' possession. Meanwhile, nine jurors who voted to acquit reportedly said they were unaware of violations.
Judge Ousman Feika has summoned jurors, defense attorneys, prosecutors, and court officers for questioning. He indicated plans to review CCTV footage, phone records, and bailiff testimony. Under Liberian law, jurors must deliberate only on evidence in court and stay insulated from outside influence -- any breach is a serious offense.
Yet the misconduct, as framed by jurors themselves, was described as a breach of sequestration rules -- having phones and making personal calls -- but not jury tampering that swayed the verdict. All fifteen, including the complainants, insisted external factors never influenced their decision. Their verdicts, they said, came from "individual consciences".
The Verdict That Sparked the Probe
After weeks of testimony, a 12-member jury on May 8 delivered a mixed verdict. Tweah was acquitted of five charges: criminal conspiracy, economic sabotage, criminal facilitation, theft of public funds, and money laundering. Co-defendant D. Moses P. Cooper was also fully acquitted.
However, former Acting Justice Minister Nyenati Tuan was found guilty of theft of public funds and criminal facilitation. Former National Security Advisor Jefferson Karmoh was found guilty of criminal facilitation and criminal conspiracy but acquitted of economic sabotage and theft of public funds. Former FIA Director General Stanley S. Ford received hung verdicts on four counts but was acquitted of economic sabotage.
Legal analysts noted the contradiction: if a criminal conspiracy existed and three participants were convicted, the jury simultaneously found that the man prosecutors identified as the principal architect had no part in it. During the trial, Tweah acknowledged authorizing the $6.2M transfer but defended it as within his authority as finance minister, citing national security. 314a
Defense Pushback and Supreme Court Limits
Tweah's defense, led by Cllr. Arthur Johnson initially rejected the inquiry as "unconstitutional, illegal, and politically motivated". Johnson argued that once a jury is discharged, the trial court loses jurisdiction over its members, and that the probe was a de facto attempt to undo an acquittal protected by double jeopardy.
The defense filed a writ of prohibition with the Supreme Court. Justice Yusuf D. Kaba issued a temporary stay, then later ordered that any investigation into jury tampering must happen in open court with both prosecution and defense present -- not privately. The stay was eventually lifted, allowing Criminal Court "C" to resume a limited procedural investigation into alleged misconduct, but not to overturn Tweah's acquittal.
The political fallout has been sharp. The CDC accused the Boakai administration of offering $275,000 to bribe jurors in the case, naming Amos Tweh, Managing Director of LPRC, as the alleged conduit. The CDC further alleged that after the jury rejected the bribe and returned a not guilty verdict, the administration ordered retaliation against jurors who voted to acquit. b02a
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Five days after Tweah's discharge, he received a summons from AREPT for a new $20.5M probe. Tweah called it a "bogus investigation" and said the timing was not coincidental.
Court officials say investigators are now examining communication logs and sequestration records from the trial period. No one has been charged, and the judiciary has not indicated whether the probe could impact Tweah's acquittal.
Despite personal and political accusations traded in testimony, every juror questioned said their decision was not swayed by outside influence. They told the court the verdict rested solely on facts and evidence presented in court.
The case began after investigations into off-budget spending and alleged irregular withdrawals from government accounts during the final years of former President Weah's administration. Solicitor General Fayiah had predicted it would be "one of the shortest economic sabotage cases in the history of the country" because "the people admitted that they took the money". The jury disagreed. d5f9
All allegations cited remain unproven and were made during closed investigative hearings. The names of some parties are being withheld pending the outcome of the inquiry.
