By Vaye Lepolu
MONROVIA – Conflicting accounts have emerged in the ongoing US$6.2 million corruption trial at Criminal Court “C,” as defense witness testimony diverged from earlier prosecution claims regarding the handling of national security funds.
The second defense witness, former Director General of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) Stanley S. Ford, testified that corruption investigations do not require prior audits and that anti-corruption institutions possess the authority to act independently. However, he also argued that cases involving National Joint Security (NJS) operations must follow a special internal process, including audits or internal reviews, before a full investigation may proceed.
Ford explained that the disputed funds, which exceeded LRD 1 billion and US$500,000, were not intended for the FIA but had passed through its accounts for activities conducted under the NJS framework.
In earlier testimony, the prosecution’s first witness, Mohammed Baba Boika, told the court that the case originated from a media report published by FrontPage Africa. The report alleged the unauthorized withdrawal of US$500,000, which was transferred to the FIA’s operational account for the purchase of IT equipment.
According to the prosecution witness, the funds were withdrawn, but the equipment was never purchased, and the money was not accounted for.
Based on the allegation, the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) invited Ford for a formal inquiry. During that meeting, Ford reportedly acknowledged that the amount in question exceeded the US$500,000 initially reported. He further stated that the funds were not intended for the FIA but rather for Joint Security operations.
When asked to provide details on how the money was used and who benefited, Ford declined to answer, citing national security concerns.
Following the meeting, the LACC launched a full-scale investigation, inviting multiple officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Liberia for questioning and document review.
Investigators were told that on July 5, 2023, the FIA received official communication assigning it a role within Joint Security operations. Two months later, on September 5, 2023, another communication indicated that funding had been secured for election-related security activities, with the FIA designated as the channel for disbursement.
