By Wilfred Duosi
The Supreme Court of Liberia has decisively rejected a petition for re-argument filed by former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah and four other former senior government officials, affirming that they are not immune from prosecution in a high-profile criminal case.
In its Thursday ruling, the Court upheld its December 18, 2025 decision, which had earlier dismissed the officials’ request for a writ of prohibition aimed at stopping ongoing criminal proceedings against them.
The Supreme Court emphasized that the earlier ruling remains valid and binding, leaving the defendants to face the charges in court.
The accused include former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah, former Justice Minister Cllr. Nyenati Tuan, former Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) Director Stanley Ford, former FIA Controller Moses Cooper, and former National Security Advisor Jefferson Karmoh.
They are charged with economic sabotage, theft of property, money laundering, criminal facilitation, and criminal conspiracy, stemming from alleged misconduct while serving in key government positions.
Defense lawyers argued that, as members of the National Security Council (NSC) operating under the Office of the President, the officials were entitled to constitutional immunity similar to that of the President under Article 61 of the Liberian Constitution.
They also contended that the Supreme Court cited the wrong statutory provision in its previous ruling, Section 2(g) instead of Section 3(b) of the National Security Reform and Intelligence Act of 2011, which outlines the composition of the NSC.
The Supreme Court acknowledged the citation error but deemed it “harmless,” noting that it does not affect the substance of the prior decision.
The ruling reinforces that public officials, regardless of rank, are accountable under the law, and the criminal case will now proceed in the lower courts.
This decision marks a significant moment in Liberia’s ongoing efforts to enforce accountability and uphold the rule of law, signaling that constitutional immunity cannot shield officials from facing justice for alleged crimes.
