The Civil Society Network of Liberia (CSNL), strongly condemns call emanating from what it termed as ‘few misguided individuals,’ especially the Chairman of the Unity Party National Youth Congress, Mr. Melvin Cephas, for the dismissal of the Minister of Justice, Cllr. Oswald Tweh following the jury verdict in the US$6.2million corruption case at “Criminal Court C”.
Cephas’ assertions in particular that Cllr.. Tweh is “dangerous, ineffective and has failed to vigorously prosecute corruption cases, as promised by the current administration”, are reckless, irresponsible, and counterproductive to the scrupulous implementation of the rule of law in Liberia.
The Civil Society Network of Liberia finds it seriously troubling and highly unfortunate that the Chairman of the National Youth Congress of the ruling party will call for the dismissal of Minister Cllr. Tweh based on his ill-informed assumption that the Minister is responsible for a “non-guilty” verdict for former Finance & Development Planning Minister, Mr. Samuel Tweah.
The attack from Mr. Cephas’ and his likes, especially his call for the minister’s dismissal highlights the parading public perception held by some Liberians, especially members of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), that the US$6.2million case was solely intended to witch-hunt Mr. Tweah.
The baseless attacks on the Justice Minister do not only seek to undermine the integrity and credibility of the Ministry of Justice, but also gravely threatens the mammoth achievements and the ongoing transformative reforms the justice system of Liberia is experiencing under the astute leadership of Cllr. Oswald Tweh as Minister of Justice.
CSNL wants to make it unequivocally clear that the jury verdicts in the US$6.2million corruption case show that the Government of Liberia prosecution team essentially prove that the fund was actually stolen or misappropriated under the disguise of National security operations during the 2023 elections.
It then beats our imagination for the youth leader of the ruling party to render the Minister of Justice “dangerous and ineffective”, simply because the verdict rendered by the jurors, ordinary Liberians who were selected to rule in the US$6.2million case, did not give former Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel Tweah a “guilty verdict.”
The case was a pursuit of accountability in the public sector, and not to target a particular person, as Mr. Cephas’ narrative suggests. It this is not gross ignorance, then it is foolhardy and incomprehensible for Mr. Cephas and his cohorts to hold Justice Minister Oswald Tweh liable for a Jury verdict.
The “guilty verdict” of three of the defendants, including former Security Advisor, Jefferson Kammoh, former Acting Justice Minister, Cllr. Nyenati Tuan, and former Finance Intelligence Agency (FIA) Director, Stanley Ford, in the US$6.2million case shows that the government justice team, led by the Ministry of Justice, ensured that justice was effectively served. It is dangerous for the maintenance of the country’s democracy when political actors begin to compel justice officials to manipulate the laws for the advancement of personal or party interests.
However, the Civil Society Network of Liberia strongly recognizes the mammoth legal and institutional reforms initiated by Cllr. Oswald Tweh and his management team at the Ministry of Justice. The incumbency of Cllr. Tweh as Minister of Justice has witnessed improvement in the country’s ant-corruption fight, criminal justice prosecutions, empowerment for justice officials, strengthening of public defense system, obtaining 52 convictions in 2024 and 60 in 2025; the ongoing construction of a US$20million modern justice complex on Capitol Hill, and ensuring the operations of the Witness Protection Agency, amongst others. While the CSNL detests poor performance of some public officials, we will not also condone unwarranted statements that undermine the character and performance of officials of the Liberian Government, including Justice Minister, Cllr. Oswald Tweh, who has and continues to maintain the implementation and protection of the rule of law without fear or favor. We are hopeful that President Joseph Boakai will not give credence to Mr. Cephas thoughtless statement, as well as the groundless attacks against Cllr. Oswald Tweh. Hence, we urge Minister Tweh and the ministry’s management team not to be distracted, but to keep working in conformity with the rule of law.