
By Myean D Torgbean
Monrovia, Liberia – Friday, October 11, 2025
Deputy Information Minister Daniel Sando has criticized what he described as deliberate legal maneuvers by former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah and his co-defendants in their ongoing corruption case, accusing them of using the court system to “buy time” despite admitting to the crime.
Speaking Thursday on The Closing Argument radio program, Minister Sando expressed frustration over what he termed as unnecessary bureaucratic delays in the judicial process.
“The bureaucracies in the court are very time-consuming. Take the case with Samuel Tweah and others they have already admitted to committing the crime,” Sando said. “But you know what they’re doing? They are buying time legally.”
According to Sando, the defendants, during trial court proceedings, reportedly admitted to misusing public funds but argued that they were covered by immunity.
“They said yes, we used the money but because we are covered with immunity, we cannot be prosecuted,” he noted.
However, Sando maintained that such claims are legally baseless. He stressed that under Liberia’s Executive Law, immunity is granted solely to the President, not to deputies, ministers, or other officials.
“The government’s position is clear: only the President has immunity,” he stated. “That immunity does not extend to the President’s deputy or any other appointed official.”
He further alleged that the defendants violated the law establishing the Joint Security framework, adding that the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) one of the institutions allegedly involved is not part of the Joint Security structure.
“The FIA’s role is to investigate questionable financial transactions, not to be part of them,” Sando emphasized. “What they did was draw the FIA into a dubious financial transaction.”
The Deputy Minister indicated that the defendants were expected to appear before the Supreme Court on Thursday, but expressed confidence that their appeal would not succeed.
“They are on a fishing expedition,” he said. “They know they already admitted to the commission of the crime. The Supreme Court will throw them out.”
The case involving former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah and several associates has drawn national attention as one of the most high-profile corruption trials in recent years, testing Liberia’s commitment to accountability and rule of law.