By G. Watson Richards
“By directive of His Honor Ousman F. Feika, Assigned Circuit Judge Presiding, First Judicial Circuit Court, Criminal Court ‘C’ Montserrado County, you are hereby ordered to appear on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 9:00am for an investigation into alleged jury misconduct/tampering,”J. Amos F. Gbowah, Clerk of Court.
Fresh uncertainty now hangs over the US$6.2 million economic sabotage trial involving former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah and several former senior officials, after the court summoned the defense team to answer to allegations of jury tampering.
A formal notice issued by the Office of the Clerk of the First Judicial Circuit, Criminal Assizes ‘C,’ at the Temple of Justice, orders lawyers representing the defendants to appear on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
The appearance is for an investigation stemming from sworn affidavits filed by three jurors who served in the case.
The citation, dated May 18, 2026, was signed by Clerk of Court J. Amos F. Gbowah on the instructions of the presiding judge of Criminal Court ‘C’ His Honor Ousman F. Feika.
In the notice to counsel, the court stated: “By directive of His Honor Ousman F. Feika, Assigned Circuit Judge Presiding, First Judicial Circuit Court, Criminal Court ‘C’ Montserrado County, you are hereby ordered to appear on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 9:00a.m for an investigation into alleged jury misconduct/tampering filed under oath of affidavits by three (3) individuals who served as jurors in the above entitled cause of action.”
The court also announced that the scheduled hearing on the Motion for New Trial has been put on hold until the investigation is completed.
“Meanwhile, the assignment for the hearing of the Motion for New Trial is hereby suspended pending the outcome of the investigation,” the notice stated.
Among those cited are Cllr. M. Wilkin Wright, Cllr. Arthur T. Johnson, Cllr. Mammie S. Gongbah, and all other lawyers representing the defendants.
The case, Republic of Liberia by and through the Ministry of Justice versus Samuel D. Tweah et al., includes charges of economic sabotage, covering allegations of fraud on the internal revenue of Liberia, misuse and illegal disbursement of public funds, as well as theft of property, money laundering, criminal facilitation, and criminal conspiracy.
Alongside Tweah, the defendants include Nyanti Tuan, former Acting Minister of Justice; Stanley S. Ford, former Director General of the Financial Intelligence Unit; D. Moses P. Cooper, former Financial Intelligence Comptroller; and Jefferson Karmoh, former National Security Advisor to former President George Weah.
The latest development raises serious questions about how the trial may proceed. If the allegations of jury tampering are proven, the court could be forced to declare a mistrial, potentially opening the door for a retrial. If the claims are dismissed, proceedings may continue as scheduled.
For now, attention turns to Wednesday’s investigation at Criminal Court “C,” where the court will begin examining the claims that have placed one of Liberia’s most closely watched corruption trials in doubt.
