By Lincoln G. Peters
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia, May 8, 2026: Jurors in the high-profile economic sabotage case involving former Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel D. Tweah, Jr. and several co-defendants are expected to return a verdict today, Friday, May 8, after closing arguments at Criminal Court “C.”
Both prosecution and defense have rested, pushing the matter to final summations, after which the case will be submitted to the jury for deliberation.
Trial Judge A. Blamo Dixon scheduled closing arguments for May 8 and will then charge the jury before it retires to consider the evidence, court sources said.
Testimony in the final phase featured rebuttal witnesses for the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), including investigator Baba Mohammed Boika, as well as witnesses from the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Immigration Service. They disputed the defense claim that the prosecution’s case is built on “assumptions” and “speculation.”
Boika told jurors that the Commission’s investigation found that large sums were moved under the banner of national security, but without supporting evidence showing how, when, or where the money was used.
“The simple question remains: which joint security agency received the money?” Boika asked, saying the defendants have not identified any beneficiary agency or produced documents to support their assertion.
He said security institutions contacted by investigators denied receiving the funds now at the center of the trial.
Boika further testified that the questioned transactions involved transfers from government accounts to the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), totaling about L$1,055,152,540 and US$500,000.
He said an initial transfer was made on September 8, 2023, followed by additional transfers on September 19 and 21, 2023, allegedly without legislative approval.
“These are not assumptions,” Boika maintained. “These are facts established through investigation.”
For the defense, Cllr. Nyanti Tuan, a former Acting Minister of Justice, said the disbursements followed National Security Council (NSC) procedures and were reached by consensus rather than unilateral action.
Tuan also questioned earlier testimony from co-defendant Jefferson S. Karmoh, who told the court he learned of the transfers only after receiving a copy of a letter referencing the transactions.
He argued that Karmoh’s failure to promptly object to the suggested acceptance of its contents.
The defense further contended that national security operations are protected by confidentiality and that intelligence-related spending does not always follow routine public-sector accounting procedures.
Tuan said such expenditures are often judged by operational outcomes and may not generate paperwork typical of ordinary audits. Any audit of intelligence funds, he added, would require presidential authorization and would be conducted under strict secrecy.
However, when pressed to name the specific agencies that allegedly benefited, the defense declined, citing legal limits on disclosing classified information.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, insist there is no verifiable evidence the money was used for national security purposes, arguing the transfers remain unaccounted for.
Awaiting Final Arguments
With both sides resting, the court will hear final arguments on May 8, after which jurors are expected to retire to deliberate and return their verdict.
Legal observers say the outcome could set the tone for public-sector accountability, particularly how national security funds are requested, disbursed, and later accounted for in Liberia.
