By G. Watson Richards and Archie Boan
MONROVIA — A 15-member jury has delivered its verdict in the high-profile US$6.2 million corruption trial involving five former government officials, finding three defendants guilty on some charges while fully acquitting former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah and former Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) Comptroller General D. Moses P. Cooper.
After days of deliberations, the jury returned mixed verdicts in the closely watched case that centered on allegations of theft of public funds, money laundering, economic sabotage, and criminal conspiracy.
Former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah was found not guilty on all charges, including criminal conspiracy, economic sabotage, criminal facilitation, theft of public funds, and money laundering.
Similarly, former FIA Comptroller General D. Moses P. Cooper was acquitted of all charges brought against him.
However, former Acting Justice Minister Nyenati Tuan was convicted on charges of theft of public funds, criminal facilitation, and theft of property. The jury, however, failed to reach a decision on the money laundering charge, while acquitting him of economic sabotage.
Former National Security Advisor to ex-President George Weah, Jefferson Karmoh, was found guilty of criminal facilitation and criminal conspiracy but acquitted of economic sabotage and theft of public funds. Jurors were unable to reach a verdict on the theft of property charge.
Former FIA Director General Stanley S. Ford received several hung verdicts, with jurors unable to agree on charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal facilitation, theft of public funds, and money laundering. He was, however, found not guilty of economic sabotage.
A hung verdict, also known as a deadlocked jury, occurs when jurors fail to reach the required supermajority decision on a charge after deliberations.
The verdict concludes one of Liberia’s most closely followed corruption trials in recent years, though legal proceedings may continue for counts where jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision.
