LACC rebuttal witness says probe found no agency to account for over L$1B, US$500K; jury to decide after closing Friday
By Lincoln G. Peters
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia, May 5, 2026: The prosecution and defense teams in the high-profile corruption trial of former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah and several co-defendants have closed the presentation of evidence, pushing the case to final arguments at Criminal Court “C,” where jurors are expected to return a verdict afterward.
Trial Judge A. Blamo Dixon has scheduled closing arguments for Friday, May 8, 2026, after which the matter will be submitted to the jury for deliberation, court sources said.
The final stretch of testimony featured rebuttal witnesses for the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), including investigator Baba Mohammed Boika, along with witnesses from the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Immigration Service, who rejected the defense’s contention that the case rests on “assumptions” and “speculation.”
Taking the stand, Boika told jurors that the charges are supported by findings from the Commission’s investigation, which, he said, shows large sums were moved under the banner of national security without proof of how or where the money was used.
“The simple question remains: which joint security agency received the money?” Boika asked, insisting the defendants have not named any beneficiary agency or produced documents to back their assertion.
He said security institutions contacted by investigators denied receiving the funds at the center of the trial.
Boika further testified that the transactions involved transfers from government accounts to the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), totaling about L$1,055,152,540 and US$500,000.
According to him, an initial transfer was made on September 8, 2023, followed by additional transfers on September 19 and 21, 2023, which he said were carried out without legislative approval.
“These are not assumptions,” Boika maintained. “These are facts established through investigation.”
For the defense, Cllr. Nyanti Tuan, former Acting Minister of Justice, told the court the disbursements were consistent with National Security Council (NSC) procedures and were based on consensus, not unilateral action.
Tuan also challenged earlier testimony by co-defendant Jefferson S. Karmoh, who claimed he did not know about the transfers until he received a copied letter referencing the transactions.
He said Karmoh’s failure to promptly object to the communication suggested acceptance of its contents.
The defense further argued that national security operations are protected by confidentiality and that spending for intelligence activities does not always follow routine public-sector accounting procedures.
Tuan said intelligence expenditures often focus on operational outcomes and may not generate the kind of paperwork expected in ordinary audits. He added that any audit of such funds, in his view, would require presidential authorization and be conducted under strict secrecy.
But when asked to identify the specific agencies that allegedly benefited from the money, the defense declined, citing legal limits on disclosing classified information.
Prosecutors maintain there is no verifiable evidence that the money was used for national security purposes, arguing that the alleged transfers remain unaccounted for.
Awaiting Final Arguments
With both sides resting, the court will now hear summations, after which jurors are to retire to consider the evidence and return a verdict.
Observers say the verdict could set the tone for public-sector accountability, especially regarding how national security funds are requested, disbursed, and later accounted for in Liberia.
