By : Staff Writer
Three former officials of the Weah’s led administration have spent their first night at the Monrovia Central Prison, when they were unable to secure a US$6.5 million bail, on Monday, July 2920 24.
Cllr. James Kumeh, expressed regret and frustration in raising the money to release the defendants on bail. Cllr. James Kumeh, expressed regret and frustration in raising the money to release the defendants on bail.
Cllr. Nyenati Tuan, former acting Justice Minister and Solicitor General, Moses P. Cooper, former Comptroller, Financial Intelligence Agency and former President Weah’s national security advisor, Jefferson Karmoh surrounded themselves over to the Monrovia City Court, at the temple Justice of Magistrate L. Ben Barco, after they were charged with multiple criminal offences, while serving in their respective positions.
The now defendants was charged with the crime of Economic Sabotagea, theft and and or illegal, Disbursement and Expenditure of public money, theft of property, criminal facilitation and criminal conspiracy by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), in connection to the allege misapplication of LS1,055,152,540.00 and US$500,000 from the account of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), held at the Central Bank of Liberia. It is out of that money, the court set the bail to US$6.5million.
The US$6.5million bail was disclosed by one of the defence Attorneys, during an interview with journalists, at the Temple of Justice building housing the City Court.
The charges against the defendants that include, economic sabotage, theft and or illegal disbursement and expenditure of public money, theft of property, criminal conspiracy and criminal conspiracy and facilitation resulted from an investigation conducted by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC). The LACC’S report alleged that ” in an elaborate scheme and conspiracy to defraud the Government of Liberia, in July 2023, Defendants conspired with Co-Defendant Stanley S.
Ford, and made him a member of the National Security Council of Liberia, in total violation and contravention of the National Security Act of Liberia.”
Subsequently thereafter, the document claims that “at various times in September, 2023, the Defendants, in carrying out their diabolical scheme and conspiracy and under the false pretense of discharging their duties as officials of the Joint Security of Liberia, unauthorizedly, criminally, willfully, illegally, knowingly and maliciously, with the intent to defraud the Government of Liberia, stole and converted to their own use and benefit, and did conspire, collude and made to be transferred, from the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) to the operational accounts of the FIA the amounts of LS1,055,152,540.00 and US$500, 000.”
The LACC further claims that the money were subsequently withdrawn either on the same day of the transfers or few days thereafter, “without any indication or record of how the amounts were disbursed or utilized by the Joint Security of Liberia, in complete and total violations of the New Penal Law of Liberia.”
It adds, “The alleged, the allege act of the Defendants being unlawful, wicked, illegal and intentional is a violation of the New Penal Law of Liberia, there and then the crimes herein the Defendants did do and commit.”