Former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah is facing double jeopardy as government lawyers prayed the court to set aside his US$8,000,000 “defective” property bond. This may place defendant Tweah at risk of being arrested for filing a criminal bond that is faulty before Judge A. Blamo Dixon of Criminal Court “C” at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia.
Tweah proffered a property bond in the tune of US$8 million that led to his release by Judge Dixon on September 25, 2024. After valuing the bond, prosecuting attorneys on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, during the hearing before the Judge questioned the legal sufficiency of the bond.
Government Chief Prosecutor of Montserrado County, Cllr. Richard Scott’s 10-count Notice of Exception to the court stated that Tweah’s two properties proffered to the court by his legal team to serve as surety- one is not in the system of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) while, the other property lacks tax liability of over US$23,000 which cannot be used as bond under the Law of Liberia.
As a result of these alleged defects, Cllr Scott has requested Judge Dixon to set aside the property bond of Defendant Tweah and have him arrested and incarcerated at the Monrovia Central Prison (South Beach) until the right bond is filed.
Mr. Tweah was indicted along with four other ex-officials of government by the Grand Jury of Montserrado County for allegedly stealing US$6,000,000 from the Government of Liberia and its citizens.
Meanwhile, the court has issued an Nea-Exit-Republica on all five of the defendants preventing them from leaving the bailiwick of the country, and ordered that if any defendant tries to leave forcefully that person should be arrested and detained.
This comes as a result of state lawyers’ petition filed before the court praying for an application for Ne-Exeat Republica, on the Defendants Samuel D. Tweah, Cllr. Nyanti Tuan, Stanley S. Ford, D. Moses P. Cooper and Jefferson Karmo who are about to leave the bailiwick of Liberia to foreign parts to the surprise of the government.
According to the Judge, the defendants should only be arrested if they are leaving the bailiwick of the country without the court’s permission. The Judge instructed that the defendants turnover their passports to the Sheriff of Criminal Court “C” Capt. Tina G. Norring.
Also, he ordered that if the court is closed and the defendants cannot be submitted to the court, Capt. Noring shall commit them until the next working day and hour when the sheriff shall have brought them to the court, except that the defendants produce a court clearance authorizing their departure from the bailiwick of the country.
