05/07/2025
Full Press Statement of Former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah Press Conference yesterday below:
Mr. Chairman and Members of the National Executive Committee of the CDC
National Youth League of the Popular People’s Movement
Members of the Press
Ladies and Gentlemen
Many are speculating why I have called this press conference. The last time I spoke to the media was in September 2024 upon my return to the country to pursue my vindication through the rule of law. People then thought my comments were going to center on the witch-hunt against me and other former officials of the CDC administration.
Consistent with the wisdom that it is not prudent to discuss matters pending before the judiciary, I addressed many different issues during that interview. At today’s press conference I will do the same. So those speculating that I am about to speak on my case are dead wrong.
I will however say in passing, that despite the evident delay gimmicks from the Prosecution and the State, we will prevail in what is a clear example of national security expenditure that is amply protected by Liberian law. We look up to the judiciary for guidance in concluding the case.
Today’s press conference will center instead on the political factors, the lies, the hate, the envy, the propaganda, the dishonesty and the shenanigans that aim to destroy innocent individuals in the public space for political motives.
The question today we will ask is why would people in our society, in our government, in our political parties, in our media, in our religious institutions know the honest truth, or aspects of this truth, but would refuse to say anything when blatant falsifications are being hashed by malicious individuals to destroy innocent people. Why do those who know the truth on matters become willing accomplices to destroy others by their dangerous silence?
Today, I will demonstrate how this evil information manipulation was deployed and weaponized against the administration of the CDC and how people are intent on sustaining this culture of lies to destroy people in our politics. Those of us who have been caught in the crosshairs of these machination will fight back with every means at our disposal, intellectually, politically and of course, legally.
This will not be and should not be how we conduct our politics. We cannot fight corruption by lying on innocent people; by sustaining fake and false narratives in the public when the facts are evident and clear as day. Those who have determined to sustain this culture of lies and dishonesty in our politics and society must be fiercely resisted and fought so that we arrive at a more honest national discourse that will focus on the serious issues affecting our people. Today’s conference is about initiating that fight; it is about demonstrating how targeting Samuel Tweah and keeping his name in the public even when he has not done nothing wrong appears to be goal of some in our politics and in our media.
One of these individuals is Mr. Stanton Witherspoon. Mr. Witherspoon has used his Spoon network to malign my person and spew out misinformation concerning me for more than four years while I served as Minister of Finance. Even out of power, he continues to pursue me. Although Mr. Witherspoon faces several lawsuits for libel, he does not seem deterred in maligning innocent people, aiming to destroy their reputation.
In the last six years, I have treated these machinations as coming with the political territory, offering public clarifications or denunciations. I have always believed a public official should be willing to withstand public scrutiny. But malicious attempts to demean and damage the reputation of an individual is a far cry from public scrutiny. Clearly, these lawsuits have evidently not deterred Mr. Witherspoon and those of his ilk.
Today, I am exposing the conspiration by Mr. Witherspoon and others to get Samuel Tweah involved in some false $30 million COVID-19 scandal” for which Mr. Witherspoon said on his network on last Thursday, June 26, 2029, that “I would be arrested” by government.” I have here the video footage of Mr. Witherspoon’s comments and will play it before taking questions.
More than 100,000 Liberians must have heard this malicious garbage. Several persons have since called me to ascertain the veracity of his injurious rant against my person, and since, people are actually having conversations about my “pending arrest,” with some urging me to change my sleeping location. All of this for something, not only that I really didn’t do and for a wrong I did not commit.
Let it be clear that if the Government is investigating the COVID-19 WFP food distribution, it is the WFP that would be under investigation and not former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah.
I believe publicly demonstrating the abject falsity and bogosity of these Witherspoon-inspired rumors concerning a supposedly the $30 million COVID scandal, the public will appreciate the extent and scope of the conspiration against me and may begin to ask why I am the target of this conspiracy.
I will present here publicly available reports on $30 million, say which institution was given this money, where the money came from, how much of this was spent and how much was leftover.
I will also show that the current UP administration has authorized the use of the balance of this money for
which, according to Stanton, I would or should be arrested.
But let’s present the facts to the public and commence the destruction of these evil rumors.
In 2020, the Government of Liberia, through the National Legislature, worked with the International Monetary Fund to secure a $25 million loan to support what was called the COVID-19 Household Food Support Program (COHFSP).
This program was about giving food to Liberian households during COVID-19. As part of this arrangement, the Government and the IMF agreed that the money should be deposited directly into the bank account of the World Food Program (WFP) which, according to the Government and the IMF had the best expertise and experience to distribute food on a global and national scale.
I was very happy with this arrangement because it meant no Liberian Government institution would be accused of “stealing $25 million, “since it would be the WFP that would be accounting for the $25 million. I was happy that another $25 million lie would be avoided.
But as we can all now see, my happiness was futile and short-lived, because I am today here talking about $25 million that was directly received and spent by the WFP. Long story short, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning received $25 million from the IMF through the Government revenue account and transferred this this sum in its entirety to the bank account of the WFP. I don’t think that money stayed a full day in the Consolidated Account.
Also, the WFP received $5 million from the World Bank through the Smallholders Agriculture Transformation Agribusiness and Revitalization Project (STAR-P). This $5 million was released directly by the World Bank as monies for donors such as the World Bank do not go to the Government Revenue Account. Based on the final report of the COHFSP, which I have here, the WFP received $ 30 from two different sources: MFDP and World Bank/Ministry of Agriculture and Donor.
In July of 2022, the WFP reported that it spent $23.838 million and had a balance of $1.171 million to transfer back to the government through the MFDP. The WFP similarly had the amount of $857,555 to be returned to the World Bank. So, in total the WFP had a little over $2 million to refund.
Up to the time the CDC administration left office the WFP had not returned this money. Thanks to Deputy Minister Augustus Flomo and his hard-working team, we left a turnover note with recommendation for the incoming administration. I have the entire copy of our turnover note from the Department of Economic Management which deals with matters of donor funding. But specifically, we have printed out the section on the recommendation.
But it gets more interesting. I have a letter dated March 2025 from Finance Minister Mr. Augustine Kpehe Ngafuah requesting results to expect from the $234,350 or 20% of the unutilized COVID-19 food distribution funding he had previously approved for expenditure on school feeding as requested by the WFP. An earlier letter from the Minister in September 2024 reads his denial of a request from the Country Director of the WFP to use $500,000 of the unused funds for school feeding. I also have a May 2023 letter from the former Country Director of WFP Mr. Aliou Diongue requesting my approval for said reallocation. Mr. Aliou personally visited me and I told him then I was not in a position to grant such approval.
Let’s imagine Minister Ngafuah has approved the reallocation and Mr. Tweah is being rumored to be arrested for it. Imagine if Samuel Tweah had approved this fund, the rumor would have been “Tweah used the WFP money for CDC election” and I might have long been arrested. So, if my arrests would be based on shenanigans like these, my detractors would need to do a whole lot more to get Samuel Tweah.
So, to conclude members of the press these are the facts on the COVID-19 $30 million. Why did Mr. Witherspoon put my name out there for $30 million? Mr. Witherspoon claims to have received this information from “Government sources.” I don’t care about Mr. Witherspoon and his sources; I cared that Liberians have falsely been made to believe I am illegally connected to some $30 million dollars for which the Government is purportedly seeking my arrest as part of its dragnet on former CDC government officials.
I have consulted by team of lawyers who believe there are substantial merits in libel lawsuit against Mr. Witherspoon pertaining to this defamation. I have instructed my lawyers to file this suit early next week. This will be the legal battle.
Today, I will spend some time discussing this and other lies and how these have been weaponized against the individuals in the CDC administration.
I thank you. I will now play the video footage and will take your questions on these and other developments!
