MONROVIA – A Central Bank of Liberia official testified Monday that cheques totaling over US$1 million and hundreds of millions in Liberian dollars were received by former Financial Intelligence Agency Comptroller D. Moses P. Cooper, as the prosecution sought to establish a paper trail linking five former government officials to an alleged economic sabotage scheme.
William Grant Jopleh, Director of Banking at the CBL, told Criminal Court “C” that ledgers and General Ledger tickets showed 15 cheques—including six in US dollars and nine in Liberian dollars—were received by Cooper on October 20, 2023. The documents, which Jopleh produced in response to a subpoena, were admitted as evidence over defense objections and now form a cornerstone of the prosecution’s case against the accused former officials.
Standing trial before Judge Ousman F. Feika are Samuel D. Tweah, former Minister of Finance, and Cllr. Nyanti Tuan, former Acting Minister of Justice; Stanley S. Ford, former Director General of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA); D. Moses P. Cooper, former FIA Comptroller; and Jefferson Karmoh, former National Security Advisor to the President.
The five face multiple charges including economic sabotage, fraud on the internal revenue of Liberia, misuse of public money, theft of property, money laundering, criminal facilitation, and criminal conspiracy. The case, which began under the February Term of Court, has drawn sustained public attention as one of the most significant corruption trials involving former high-ranking officials in recent Liberian history.
The 40th day of jury sitting commenced with the prosecution requesting that the Sheriff report on the service of a Subpoena Duces Tecum and Ad Testificandum issued to the CBL. After confirming proper service, the court ordered that the subpoena witness be qualified.
Jopleh, identified as the CBL’s Director of Banking, took the witness stand and produced the requested documents. Under direct examination, he identified a 2023 ledger containing records of cheque recipients and dates, along with multiple General Ledger tickets used to process the transactions.
Jopleh testified that the cheques were received by D. Moses P. Cooper on October 20, 2023, providing the court with Cooper’s telephone number as recorded in the CBL’s records. The documents were collectively marked as Exhibit P/5-in-bulk, containing eight sheets, and subsequently confirmed by the witness.
During cross-examination, defense counsel sought to probe the limitations of the CBL’s knowledge regarding the purpose of the payments. When asked whether the CBL typically knows the purpose of payments made to government agencies, the prosecution raised multiple objections, including that the question traveled beyond the scope of the subpoena witness’s testimony.
Judge Feika overruled the objection, stating, “The witness is very intelligent,” allowing the testimony to proceed. Jopleh responded that the CBL is not particularly concerned with the purpose of payments to government institutions. “The CBL is keen on the signatures and the mandate of the account and as to whether the account is funded. Beyond that, the CBL will not go knowing the purpose of same,” he testified.
Defense counsel subsequently asked whether all 15 cheques related to the specific case before the court. Jopleh acknowledged that not all were connected to the particular transaction under investigation. When asked why the CBL brought records for 15 cheques when not all were relevant, the witness explained that the ledger contained all cheques received by the institution for the month, as requested by the subpoena.
Several other defense attempts to elicit testimony were met with sustained objections from the court, which repeatedly cautioned against introducing extraneous material and abrogating the parol evidence rule.
Following Jopleh’s testimony, the prosecution moved to recall its first witness, investigator Baba Boika, whose testimony had been suspended to accommodate the subpoena witness. Boika resumed the stand and identified photocopied cheques that his investigation had uncovered.
When prosecutors requested that the photocopied cheques be marked as evidence, defense counsel raised a vigorous objection. The defense argued that the prosecution had failed to establish the whereabouts of the original documents, citing Section 25.6 of the Civil Procedure Law, which generally requires the original writing to be produced unless it is proven lost or destroyed or in possession of the opposing party.
“The prosecution failed to specifically ask the subpoena witness to establish whether or not the originals are missing,” defense counsel argued. “Because the whereabouts of the original cannot be established, the duplicate cannot be marked into evidence as a matter of law.”
The defense noted that the purpose of issuing the subpoena to the CBL and FIA was to produce original cheques, and that no witness had informed the court that the originals were missing. After a brief recess, Judge Feika delivered a ruling that overruled the defense objection and cleared the way for the photocopied cheques to be admitted.
Citing Section 25.6 of the Civil Procedure Law, the court noted that a subpoena witness from the FIA had previously testified that following a diligent search of their office, the requested documents could not be found. This established, in the court’s view, that the originals were unavailable.
More significantly, Judge Feika invoked Sections 1.2 and 1.3 of the Criminal Procedure Law, which emphasize the overarching goal of securing substantial justice over procedural technicalities.
“The defense counsel has not demonstrated an argument why such marking would affect the substantial right of his client,” Judge Feika stated in his ruling. “This Court maintains that the burden to prove the guilt of the defendants on trial is so enormous that the effort by the prosecution to do so must not be impeded or hindered.”
The court further noted that the defense team would have the opportunity to traverse or counter the evidence produced by the prosecution during their own presentation of the case.
The photocopied cheques were subsequently marked as Exhibit P/6-in-bulk, containing 19 sheets, and confirmed by witness Boika.
With the financial documents admitted, Boika proceeded to provide detailed testimony about the alleged conspiracy underlying the transactions. He identified a September 5, 2023, letter written by co-defendant Cllr. Nyanti Tuan, acting in his capacity as Acting Minister of Justice, addressed to co-defendant Stanley S. Ford, then Director General of the FIA.
The letter, marked as Exhibit P/7-in-bulk containing two sheets, instructed Ford that “the joint security has secured some funding” and authorized him to release the funds “without further delay.” A copy of the letter was also sent to co-defendant Jefferson Karmoh, then National Security Advisor to the President.
Boika testified that during the investigation, Tuan claimed the instruction was based on consultations with Karmoh. However, Tuan “failed to show any instrument (written) that informed his decision to write such a letter,” Boika told the court.
The investigation further established that neither Tuan, Ford, nor Karmoh could produce written evidence that the Joint Security faced an emergency requiring immediate funding. Additionally, there was no documentation showing that the National Security Council had approved the funding—a requirement that, according to statements Karmoh made during the investigation, must be followed for joint security funding to be authorized.
Regarding former Finance Minister Samuel Tweh, Boika testified that the investigation found no evidence that Tweh received any communication from the National Security Council or the Chairman of the Joint Security authorizing the disbursement of the funds.
“The said monies were suspiciously transferred to the accounts of the FIA, were withdrawn by the DG in person of Hon. Forh and the comptroller in person of D. Moses Cooper,” Boika testified. “The said amount could not be accounted for by all of the defendants who initiated these transactions.”
The prosecution rested with Boika following his testimony, reserving the right to recall him if the need arises. With the day’s proceedings concluded, Judge Feika adjourned the trial until Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. The court ordered the clerk to print the minutes of the day’s sitting and ensure both parties were served copies, with proof of receipt to be indicated on the court record. The trial resumes Tuesday morning.
