MONROVIA – Liberia’s Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for July 1, 2025, into a petition for a writ of prohibition filed by lawyers representing former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah Jr. and three others in connection with a high-profile economic sabotage case.
According to a notice of assignment issued by the court, “You are hereby commanded to notify the Parties in the above Entitled Cause of Action or their Legal Representative(s) that the Honorable Supreme Court of the Republic of Liberia will hear ARGUMENT in said cause on the 1st day of JULY A.D. 2025, at the hour of 11:00 a.m.”
The petition aims to stop ongoing criminal proceedings at Criminal Court ‘C,’ where Tweah and his co-defendants face prosecution for allegedly authorizing unauthorized financial transactions while in office.
Presiding Judge Roosevelt Willie was appointed to oversee the case in February this year. The indictment, issued by the Grand Jury of Montserrado County on September 5, 2024, alleges that the former minister and his co-accused facilitated the transfer of over L$1 billion and US$500,000 from the Central Bank of Liberia to operational accounts of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) between September 8 and 21, 2023.
Prosecutors argue that the financial movements were conducted without the necessary approvals from the National Security Council or any other legally authorized body. The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and the Ministry of Justice have maintained that the defendants acted beyond the limits of their authority and cannot invoke protection under public office privileges.
Judge Willie has previously ruled in favor of the prosecution’s interpretation, citing legal provisions that hold public officials criminally liable for acts involving gross negligence, abuse of power, or corruption.
The Supreme Court’s review of the petition now places the future of the trial in a state of uncertainty. The outcome of the July 1 hearing will be pivotal in determining whether the trial proceeds as scheduled or is halted based on legal grounds raised by the defense. Given the case’s high public interest and potential political implications, all eyes will be on the Supreme Court’s decision.
