By Jerromie S. Walters
MONROVIA, LIBERIA – Liberia’s Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force (AREPT) has formally summoned former Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Hon. Samuel Tweah, to answer questions regarding the alleged theft of US$20.5 million from a government rice subsidy program.
The investigation covers the period from September 2021 to October 2022, when the Government of Liberia allocated the funds through the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Finance to reduce the price of a 25kg bag of rice. AREPT’s preliminary findings indicate that the government made the payments, but the price of rice on the Liberian market did not decrease.
According to AREPT, credible documents in the task force’s possession suggest that the subsidy payments were stolen and diverted for personal use. Investigators allege that former Minister Tweah acted in concert with others to approve and process the payments from the Ministry of Finance, knowing the funds would not serve their intended public purpose.
The task force is pursuing charges including theft of property, economic sabotage, misapplication of funds, criminal conspiracy, and criminal facilitation.
AREPT has scheduled Tweah’s appearance for Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 11:00 AM at the Asset Recovery Head Office, Golden Key Compound in King Gray, Paynesville. The former minister may bring legal counsel.
The invitation cites Executive Order #161, which empowers the task force to identify and recover stolen assets—both liquid and fixed—on behalf of the Liberian people. “We anticipate your cooperation as we strive to promote transparency and integrity for the people of Liberia,” the summons states. The summons is signed by John M. Gbilee, Jr., Core Member, and approved by Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin, Chairman of AREPT.
AREPT’s summon comes days after Criminal Court “C” acquitted Tweah of all charges in a high-profile corruption case involving more than US$6.2 million, delivering a mixed verdict that convicted three other co-defendants on related counts. Following nearly an hour of deliberations behind closed doors on Friday, a 12-member jury panel found Tweah not guilty of economic sabotage, theft of public funds, criminal facilitation, criminal conspiracy, and money laundering.
Tweah, a prominent figure in the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), had faced intense scrutiny over state fund transfers executed in late 2023. In contrast, the jury returned a guilty verdict against Cllr. Nyanti Tuan, the former Acting Minister of Justice, on charges of criminal facilitation and theft. Stanley Ford was convicted of theft of property, while former Security Advisor Jefferson Karmoh was found not guilty of economic sabotage and theft but guilty of criminal facilitation.
