By G. Watson Richards
Testimony in the ongoing US$6.2 million economic sabotage trial brought new twists, as former Acting Justice Minister Cllr. Nyanti Tuan challenged both the prosecution’s case and the account of a co-defendant.
The trial, being heard in Criminal Assizes ‘C,’ at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia involves several former senior government officials, including ex-Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah and former National Security Advisor Jefferson Karmoh.
They are facing charges ranging from economic sabotage and theft of public funds to money laundering and criminal conspiracy.
Taking the stand as the defense’s fourth witness, Tuan rejected all levied allegations against him and his co-defendants, arguing that the prosecution has not established the basic elements of the crimes.
“The State has miserably failed to show from which we took the money who gave it to us and how much was it. So I don’t see how theft occurred in this situation,” he told the court.
He also questioned the money laundering charge, adding, “How then can you launder something that you did not steal?”
A key moment in the proceedings came when defendant Tuan responded to earlier testimony from co-defendant Jefferson Karmoh, who told the court that he only became aware of the funds after receiving a copied letter from Tuan to the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA).
“The first time I heard about the money in question was when I received the CC copy of Cllr. Tuan’s letter to the FIA,” Karmoh had testified.
Tuan disagreed, suggesting that Karmoh had prior knowledge but failed to raise any objection at the time.
“He had all of the time to reply me but he sat there and never said anything, so because he didn’t say anything it means what I said was correct,” Tuan said.
He also denied that the two had jointly agreed to channel the funds through the FIA.
“I cannot recall saying Hon. Jefferson Karmoh and I had a discussion and decided that the funds would be channeled through the FIA,” he stated.
Instead, Tuan told the court that Karmoh approached him about the funds.
“On the 4th of September he came to my office and told me that there was funding available… and asked that I write to the agency to collect the money,” he said.
Throughout his testimony, Tuan maintained that his actions were carried out in his official capacity.
“All we did was a statutory function for which we have been prosecuted this is a bad precedent,” he said.
He also criticized the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), arguing that investigators failed to examine asset declarations or financial records that could support their case.
“The first working tools should have been the assets declaration… but that was not done,” he said.
The hearing was briefly disrupted when the presiding judge Osuman F. Feika fined two lawyers, one from each side, US$150 each for disturbing the proceedings.
During Tuesday’s hearing, a key moment in the proceedings came from a rebuttal witness for the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), Baba Mohammed Boika, who dismissed defense claims that the case was based on speculation.
Boika told the court and jury that the allegations are backed by investigative findings, pointing to what he described as large public fund transfers allegedly made without evidence of their use for national security purposes.
He challenged the defense narrative, asking, “Which joint security agency received the money?” and noted that no agency mentioned during the investigation confirmed receiving the funds, nor were supporting documents provided.
He testified that government accounts transferred funds to the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) in several installments, including over L$1 billion and US$500,000.
The transactions were said to have occurred on September 8, 19, and 21, 2023, without legislative approval.
“These are not assumptions,” Boika told the court. “They are facts established through investigation.”
With conflicting accounts now on record, the case may turn on how the jury assesses the credibility of the defendants and the strength of the prosecution’s evidence.
The presiding judge of Criminal Court ‘C’ Osuman F. Feika is now set to hear closing arguments before the jury begins deliberations.
