By Vaye Lepolu
Monrovia, Liberia -The ongoing corruption trial at Criminal Court “C” has intensified around a central, unresolved issue: which institution or member of the Joint Security actually received the alleged US$6.2 million in national security funds linked to former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah and other ex-government officials.
As proceedings continue, prosecutors have sharpened their cross-examination, repeatedly pressing the defendant, Tweah, to identify the final beneficiaries institutions of the disputed funds allegedly disbursed for security operations. The issue has become one of the most critical points in the trial. But Tweah maintains that funds were Lawfully Disbursed.
Testifying in his defense, on Friday April 24, 2026, Tweah insisted that all transactions involving the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) were conducted within the framework of Liberia’s Public Financial Management (PFM) law. However, he declined to name any specific Joint Security institution that received the funds. He further argued that details of such transactions fall under national security confidentiality.
“The investigation will never know because you have never been told on a national security basis,” Tweah told the court. But Liberia Anti- Corruption Commission (LACC) Witness Baba Mohammed Boika in his testimony before the court and jury, claims unauthorized transfers, that more than US$500,000 and L$1.05 billion were transferred from government accounts to the FIA without proper authorization.
Boika testified that the transfers allegedly approved by Tweah lacked both legislative approval and authorization from the National Security Council (NSC).
He further told the court that FIA officials, including Director General Stanley Forh and Comptroller Moses Cooper, withdrew the funds without proper documentation or accountability records.
According to Boika, “the funds were illegally transferred, withdrawn, and remain unaccounted for.” But defendant Tweah claims the disbursement was legal
Recently, two former senior security officials, including former Defense Minister Daniel D. Ziankahn II and former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Prince Charles Johnson III (Ret.), told the court on the witness stand as subpoena witnesses said they did not know the FIA’s inclusion in the Joint Security framework or any related financial disbursements. Both witnesses described established procedures requiring that security funding requests pass through the Ministry of Justice and the National Security Council before reaching the Ministry of Finance.
Significant disagreement emerged in court over the proper procedure for national security funding. Prosecutors argued that all requests must originate from the Joint Security, pass through the NSC, and be formally communicated to the Finance Ministry via the Justice Ministry. Tweah rejected this stating that it represents only one of several operational pathways. “That is a procedure, not the procedure,” he told the court, adding that presidential directives may also authorize fund disbursement.
Prosecutors give notice to the court that they will produce rebuttal witnesses, following what they described as non-responsive answers during cross-examination. The trial, involving allegations of theft, criminal conspiracy, and money laundering, remains ongoing. The key question of who ultimately received the alleged US$6.2 million remains unanswered as the proceeding continues on Monday April 27, 2026
