The defense in the ongoing US$6.2 million economic sabotage trial at Criminal Court ‘C’ has officially closed.
The case ended with former Solicitor General, Nyanti Tuan challenging prosecution’s evidence and legal approach.
Defense lawyers on Monday, May 4, informed presiding Judge Ousman F. Feika, that they had finished presenting both witnesses and documents that were ready for final arguments.
The case, brought by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), indicted five former government officials of misappropriating more than US$6 million intended for national security operations.
Key witnesses from the two sides have testified with contradictions, but for Cllr. Tuan, denied all allegations of theft, money laundering and conspiracy.
He argued that the prosecution failed to provide clear and specific evidence in the case.
“If we committed economic sabotage, we must benefit. The State has not shown how we benefited.”
Tuan emphasized that prosecutors did not state how much money each defendant allegedly took or from whom the money was stolen. The points, he claimed were essential to prove the charges against the defendants.
Tuan disagreed with co-defendant Jefferson Karmoh, the former National Security Advisor.
He accused Tuan of giving false testimony about the handling of the US$6.2 million.
Tuan also defended how the money was handled, saying: “national security matters often require secrecy.”