By G. Watson Richards
Prosecution prime witness in the ongoing economic sabotage case involving ex-finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah and other former senior government officials testified on Monday, March 30, 2026, that these ex-officials authorized the disbursement of public funds for alleged national security operations without evidence of approval or emergency justification.
Appearing before Criminal Court ‘C’ at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, Baba Mohammed Boika, Program Manager for Monitoring and Investigation at the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), told the court that investigators uncovered significant procedural irregularities in the handling of the funds, during their investigation.
Boika testified that the investigation established that a single communication, authored by former Acting Justice Minister Cllr. Nyanti Tuan, was sent to the Director of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), requesting the disbursement of funds for national security purposes.
He stated that the funds were subsequently processed through FIA channels, including its comptroller.
“During our investigation, it was established that only one communication was written by Cllr. Nyanti Tuan and addressed to the FIA for the disbursement of funds under the pretext of national security operations,” Boika told the court.
However, Boika emphasized that those involved failed to provide supporting documentation to justify the transaction.
“Cllr. Tuah, Moses Cooper, and Mr. Forh could not establish or produce any communication to demonstrate that there was a national security emergency requiring such disbursement,” he said.
According to the witness, the investigation further revealed that the disbursement lacked the legally required approval from the National Security Council.
“Neither Cllr. Tuah nor Mr. Forh could establish that the funds in question were approved by the National Security Council,” Boika testified.
He added that investigators found no records indicating that the Acting Justice Minister had received authorization or directives from the Council to initiate the transaction.
“Our findings show that there are no records to prove that Cllr. Tuah, in the discharge of his duties, received instructions from the National Security Council,” Boika stated.
Boika also told the court that the investigation did not uncover any authorization from the Council’s chairman at the time.
“At no point did the Chairman of the National Security Council, who was then Justice Minister Cllr. Frank Musa Dean, give such instructions,” he said.
The testimony forms part of the prosecution’s case against several former officials accused of misapplying public funds under the guise of national security operations.
The trial continues with further evidence expected to be presented in the coming days.
