- The fate of Liberia's US$6 million economic sabotage trial against five former officials of the George Weah administration could be decided Tuesday, July 21, when Criminal Court "C" releases the findings of its investigation into alleged jury tampering, a report that could trigger a mistrial and the discharge of the empaneled jury if the allegations are substantiated.
All parties, their legal counsel and attorneys representing the affiant jurors have been ordered to appear at the Temple of Justice at 2 p.m. for the release of the report, according to a Notice of Assignment signed by Assistant Clerk of Court Robert Tokpah under the authority of Assigned Circuit Judge Ousman F. Feika.
If investigators found credible evidence that jurors were improperly influenced, the court could discharge the current jury, declare a mistrial, empanel a new jury or pursue legal action against anyone found to have interfered with the administration of justice. If the allegations are determined to be unfounded, the trial is expected to resume without further interruption.
The Republic of Liberia, through the Ministry of Justice, is prosecuting former Minister of Finance and Development Planning Samuel D. Tweh; former Acting Minister of Justice Cllr. Nyanti Tuan; former Financial Intelligence Agency Director General Stanley S. Ford; former FIA Comptroller D. Moses P. Cooper; and Jefferson Karmoh, former National Security Advisor to former President Weah. All five have denied the allegations.
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The defendants are jointly charged with economic sabotage, involving fraud on the internal revenue of Liberia, misuse of public money, theft and illegal disbursement of public funds, along with theft of property, money laundering, criminal facilitation and criminal conspiracy.
Prosecutors allege the accused participated in the unlawful withdrawal and disbursement of approximately US$6 million from the FIA's operational accounts, using the money for unauthorized intelligence activities without legislative appropriation, supporting documentation or compliance with Liberia's Public Financial Management laws. Although the defendants claimed the expenditures served national security operations, prosecutors contend investigators found no legal basis or accounting records to justify the transactions.
The defense maintains the funds were lawfully used for confidential national security purposes within the FIA's operational mandate, and has repeatedly argued that the prosecution criminalizes legitimate security expenditures, urging the court to dismiss the charges.
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The trial was derailed after allegations surfaced that members of the empaneled jury may have been subjected to outside influence, prompting complaints before the court and eventually the intervention of the Supreme Court. Acting on judicial directives, Criminal Court "C" opened a formal investigation into whether jurors were approached, influenced, intimidated or otherwise engaged in conduct capable of compromising the trial's fairness. Jurors, court personnel, lawyers connected to the proceedings and other relevant individuals were interviewed.
The prosecution is widely regarded as one of the most significant anti-corruption cases arising from the previous administration, involving former top officials entrusted with state finances and national security operations. The outcome of both the misconduct investigation and the underlying trial carries far-reaching implications for public accountability and confidence in the Judiciary's ability to fairly adjudicate complex corruption cases.
