MONROVIA – Former Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel D. Tweah has called on the Government of Liberia to redirect its investigation of the COVID-19 stimulus fund to the World Food Programme (WFP) instead of targeting him.
By Obediah Johnson
At a news conference held in Congo Town on Friday, Tweah dismissed allegations that he mismanaged the US$30 million COVID-19 food distribution funds provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank during the pandemic. He described the accusations as false, politically motivated, and part of a broader effort to damage his reputation.
Tweah claimed that media personality Stanton Witherspoon has been actively spreading misinformation about his role in the stimulus fund while using his Spoon network platform to suggest his pending arrest. He accused Witherspoon of orchestrating a character assassination campaign that has persisted for over four years.
“Although Mr. Witherspoon faces several lawsuits for libel, he continues to malign innocent people,” Tweah said. “Last week, he told Liberians that I would be arrested over the US$30 million COVID scandal. This misinformation has caused widespread speculation and concern, including calls urging me to change my sleeping location.”
Tweah emphasized that he played no role in the expenditure of the stimulus fund and insisted the WFP was solely responsible for managing and implementing the COVID-19 Household Food Support Program (COHFSP).
WFP Received and Spent the Funds, Tweah Says
According to Tweah, the Liberian government, through the IMF, secured US$25 million for the COHFSP in 2020. An additional US$5 million was disbursed by the World Bank through the Ministry of Agriculture under the STAR-P project. All funds were transferred directly to the WFP for implementation, bypassing government agencies.
“I was very happy with this arrangement,” Tweah noted. “It meant no Liberian government institution would be accused of stealing the money. The WFP received and spent the funds, and they should be the ones under investigation.”
He stated that the Ministry of Finance received the IMF’s US$25 million and transferred it immediately to the WFP’s account. The World Bank’s US$5 million, he said, did not enter government accounts at all.
Tweah presented data showing that by July 2022, the WFP reported spending US$23.8 million of the US$30 million and had a balance of over US$2 million to be returned to the Government of Liberia and the World Bank. He alleged that up to the end of the CDC administration, the WFP had not returned these remaining funds.
He also referenced a turnover note prepared by the Department of Economic Management detailing these funds and pending reimbursements.
Questions Over Reallocation of Unused Funds
Tweah disclosed that in March 2025, Finance Minister Augustine Ngafuah wrote him requesting clarification about the use of US$234,350—20% of the remaining COVID-19 funds—earmarked for school feeding. According to Tweah, this reallocation had not been approved during his tenure, despite prior requests from the WFP.
“I rejected the request when WFP asked in 2023. It’s ironic that the current minister approved the reallocation, yet rumors circulate that I would be arrested for it,” he said. “If I had approved it, they would have accused me of using WFP money for CDC elections.”
Legal Action Against Witherspoon
Tweah announced he has instructed his lawyers to file a defamation lawsuit against Stanton Witherspoon over what he termed “false and damaging claims.” He accused Witherspoon of acting on alleged information from government sources and manipulating public sentiment for political purposes.
“I don’t care about Witherspoon’s sources. I care that Liberians have been made to believe that I’m illegally connected to a $30 million fund for which the government is seeking my arrest,” Tweah stated.
He said the deliberate spread of misinformation is part of a broader political tactic to weaponize lies against former officials of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) administration.
“This will not be and should not be how we conduct our politics,” Tweah said. “We cannot fight corruption by lying on innocent people. Those who sustain this culture of lies must be fiercely resisted.”
Tweah added he is prepared to defend his reputation politically, legally, and intellectually, and called for a more honest national discourse focused on the real issues affecting Liberians.
