Monrovia- Three former officials of the Weah-led administration who were imprisoned at the Monrovia Central Prison for nearly a week have been temporarily released by Criminal Court “A” after the defendants furnished the court with a valid criminal appearance bond valued at US$12 million.
Victoria Wesseh, contributing writer
The release order from the court dated Friday, August 2, 2024 reads: “you are hereby commanded to release from further detention the living bodies of Cllr. Nyanti Tuan, D. Moses P. Cooper and Jefferson Karmoh, defendants charged with the commission of the crimes: economic
Sabotage, misuse of public money, property of record, theft of property, theft/illegal disbursement and expenditure of public money, criminal facilitation and criminal conspiracy.”
The defendants dressed in jeans trousers with T-shirts departed the prison compound late in the evening hours of Friday and were received by their lawyers, families, friends and well-wishers in a jubilant mood outside of the prison.
Prior to their released, the defendants struggled to obtain a valid criminal appearance bond since Monday, July 29, 2024; something that caused the alleged criminals to spent five nights at the Monrovia Central Prison.
After their struggle to acquire a valid bond, the Sky International Insurance Company which head offices is located on Buchanan Street proffer a valid criminal appearance bond of US$ 12 million.
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 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.
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.”
