-GOV’T OR TWEAH, WHO WON?
Former Finance and Development Planning Minister, Samuel D. Tweah, must have slept well and in peace, following his acquittal on Friday of all five charges in a high-profile corruption case the Government of Liberia had filed against him.
The charges including, economic sabotage, theft of property, money laundering, criminal conspiracy and criminal facilitation were all dismissed by Criminal Court ‘C’ that returned a not guilty verdict against the former Finance and Development Planning Minister.
His supporters, mainly members of the former ruling CDC, exploded into jubilation on hearing about his acquittal by the Court. “Shame on them for falsely accusing Tweah,” a man in the jubilant crowd remarked.
The case was about the reported mismanagement of $6.2 million in national security funds during the 2023 presidential election.
Tweah was one of five former officials of Weah and his CDC Government charged in the case. Co-defendant, Jefferson Karmoh, was earlier found guilty of criminal facilitation, but acquitted on the other counts. The Court also found guilty former acting Minister of Justice, Cllr. Nyanti Tuan, in the landmark corruption case.
While the celebration of Tweah’s acquittal continues, debate has ensued in several quarters on whether it is the Government or Tweah is the actual winner of the just-ended economic sabotage case.
For some Liberians, the Government is the actual winner because its claim that US$ 6.2 million United States Dollars had been stolen or mismanaged was validated by the Court’s guilty verdict against former acting Justice Minister, Nyanti Twan, and former security advisor, Jefferson Karmoh. They also argued that the acquittal of Tweah has proven the Government’s critics wrong that the charges against the former finance minister and others was an attempt to witch-hunt or target them because they were officials of the CDC administration.
The Liberians further noted that the acquittal of a prominent opposition figure in a high profile corruption case under the current regime is not only a boost to the government, but has also restored public confidence in the Country’s justice system.
For others, Tweah won because he was falsely accused by the Government of stealing public funds without a shred of evidence in an attempt to witch-hunt him as an ex-official of the CDC-led government.
They also argued that Tweah won because God fought his battle against the regime the fact that he did nothing wrong, but was being targeted as a senior member of the former ruling CDC of George Weah, while other Liberians, who claim to be independent thinkers, said no matter who won, the due process prevailed.
