Tuan, Ford Convicted on Select Counts as Major Charges Against Former Officials Crumble

By Willie N. Tokpah

Temple of Justice — In what many observers are already describing as one of the most embarrassing courtroom defeats for the Liberian government in recent years, jurors at Criminal Court “C” on Friday, May 8, delivered a crushing blow to state prosecutors by acquitting former Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel D. Tweah Jr. and several former senior officials of the gravest charges in the government’s highly publicized economic sabotage case.
The verdict, handed down after months of dramatic legal battles, intense public scrutiny, and politically charged accusations, significantly weakened what the government had promoted as a landmark anti-corruption prosecution involving more than L$1 billion and US$500,000 allegedly linked to government security-related accounts.
The defendants included:
Samuel D. Tweah Jr., former Minister of Finance and Development Planning
Nyanti Tuan, former Acting Justice Minister and Solicitor General
Stanley S. Ford, former Director General of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA)
D. Moses P. Cooper, former Comptroller of the FIA
Jefferson Karmoh, former National Security Advisor to former President George Weah
HOW THE JURY RULED
For Samuel D. Tweah Jr.
Economic Sabotage — NOT GUILTY
Theft of Property — NOT GUILTY
Money Laundering — NOT GUILTY
Criminal Facilitation — NOT GUILTY
Criminal Conspiracy — NOT GUILTY
For Jefferson Karmoh
Economic Sabotage — NOT GUILTY
Theft of Property — NOT GUILTY
Money Laundering — NOT GUILTY
Criminal Conspiracy — GUILTY
Criminal Facilitation — GUILTY
For D. Moses P. Cooper
Economic Sabotage — NOT GUILTY
Theft of Property — NOT GUILTY
Money Laundering — NOT GUILTY
Criminal Facilitation — NOT GUILTY
Criminal Conspiracy — NOT GUILTY
For Nyanti Tuan
Economic Sabotage — NOT GUILTY
Theft of Property — GUILTY
Criminal Facilitation — GUILTY
Criminal Conspiracy — GUILTY
For Stanley S. Ford
Economic Sabotage — GUILTY
Criminal Facilitation — GUILTY
Money Laundering — NOT GUILTY
The verdict effectively dismantled the government’s central narrative that former officials of the George Weah administration orchestrated a massive criminal scheme involving public funds and national security accounts.
While two defendants were convicted on select counts, the acquittal of Tweah — the central figure in the prosecution — alongside the clearing of several major charges against others, represented a devastating setback for state prosecutors and anti-corruption authorities.
For months, prosecutors attempted to persuade jurors that the defendants illegally transferred and utilized public funds through accounts associated with the Financial Intelligence Agency and national security operations.
But throughout the proceedings, defense lawyers fiercely argued that the transactions in question were legitimate national security expenditures conducted under executive authority and protected government operations.
Defense attorneys repeatedly maintained that the prosecution failed to produce evidence showing that any of the accused personally stole money, diverted funds into private accounts, or unlawfully enriched themselves.
“This case was never about justice; it was about politics,” one defense lawyer argued during final arguments, insisting that prosecutors criminalized administrative and security procedures simply because political power had changed hands.
Legal analysts closely monitoring the case observed that the government struggled to directly connect the accused officials to acts of theft or personal enrichment.
Instead, much of the prosecution’s arguments reportedly centered on alleged procedural violations, accounting questions, and documentation concerns tied to confidential security expenditures.
Friday’s ruling has now intensified debate across Liberia over whether anti-corruption institutions are increasingly being weaponized to target political opponents.
The case had earlier reached the Supreme Court after defense lawyers challenged the legitimacy and constitutionality of aspects of the prosecution. Although the matter was allowed to proceed, the final verdict now leaves the government facing difficult questions about the credibility and handling of one of its most aggressive prosecutions against former officials.
Scenes outside Criminal Court “C” quickly turned emotional after the verdict, with supporters of the former officials erupting into celebration as jurors announced multiple not guilty findings.
For supporters of Tweah and the former officials, the ruling was viewed not merely as a courtroom victory, but as a public rejection of what they described as a politically motivated campaign designed to disgrace members of the former administration.
The verdict is expected to further deepen national conversations surrounding selective justice, prosecutorial independence, and the broader integrity of Liberia’s anti-corruption fight.
Attention is now expected to shift toward sentencing for those convicted on select charges, while political pressure mounts on state prosecutors following the dramatic collapse of large portions of the government’s flagship economic sabotage case.
For the acquitted defendants, however, Friday’s ruling marks a powerful political and legal comeback after enduring months of accusations, public scrutiny, and courtroom warfare.