Liberia: Bishop Kortu Brown calls on government to extradite accused former state officials

Monrovia — Renowned Liberian cleric Bishop Kortu Brown has called on those accused of alleged corruption and financial irregularities in the audit reports of the General Auditing Commission (GAC) and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), including former Minister of Finance and Development Planning Samuel Tweah, to make themselves available for investigation and subsequent prosecution.

By Obediah Johnson, [email protected]

Bishop Brown pointed out that it remains the responsibility of those accused in audit reports published by anti-corruption institutions to undergo legal action to clear their names.

He made these statements recently in an exclusive interview with FrontPage Africa on the grounds of his church in Brewerville outside Monrovia.

He used this medium to praise former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and current Senator for Gbarpolu County, Nathaniel McGill, for taking advantage of ongoing investigations into alleged salary inflating during his time as an adviser to former President George Manneh Weah.

Like Senator McGill, Bishop Brown wants former Minister Tweah and others to be brought to justice to determine whether the allegations against them are true.

“Whenever the GAC reports allegations against anyone of financial irregularities, the onus is on you (the accused) to go and investigate. This is part of the rule of law. People should go and exonerate themselves. Samuel Tweah, the former finance minister, should go to court to exonerate himself.”

However, he stressed that peace cannot be maintained if current and former state officials blatantly disregard the rule of law.

“We cannot want the rule of law and then not abide by the rule of law. We cannot say we want peace and not help promote peace.”

Bishop Brown warned against targeting a particular group of people for corruption and other financial crimes.

He noted that while the Unity Party (UP)-led government's efforts to bring former public officials to justice did not amount to a witch hunt at present, the process should not be directed against officials of a particular regime.

He stressed that only the final outcome of the ongoing prosecutions against former and current public officials accused of corruption will shed light on whether or not the Boakai-Koung government is conducting a witch hunt against a particular group of people.

“These measures should not be directed against any particular group. I think they should be open. Whatever the constitution or the restrictions provide, they should not be directed against any particular government.”

Audits conducted by Weah

Bishop Brown noted that many of the audit reports published by the GAC were prepared during the administration of former President George Manneh Weah.

Nevertheless, former finance minister Tweah considers the trial a “witch hunt” and vowed not to return to Liberia under the Boakai-Koung government. However, Interpol has issued a red alert against him.

Bishop Brown noted that it was now clear and understandable that former civil servants would speak out on the corruption allegations since the audit was conducted under their administration.

“The audit reports under review come from the George Weah government. We can only hope that the current government will be more open-minded (in its investigations and prosecutions).”

Use the law

He called on the government to apply the law against accused former state officials who have either gone into hiding or are outside the country and refusing to be investigated.

“The law knows how to bring them back. I appeal to any Liberian who is accused of anything to come forward and exonerate himself. Samuel Tweah should come forward and exonerate himself of the charges against him.”

He warned former civil servants not to rely on or hide behind comments made by former President Weah against the Uttar Pradesh government's initiative to hold them accountable for their conduct in office.

Mr Weah criticised the Boakai-Koung government's move to prosecute his former officials, including close allies. He has also forwarded an official complaint to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the matter.

But Bishop Brown believes Mr Weah does not have the legal authority to rehabilitate his former officials who have been accused of alleged corruption and financial irregularities.

“Former President Weah is not the court; it is just his democratic right (to speak). He is a political leader who is allowed to have his opinion or view, but he is not the court, the GAC or the LACC. If the LACC calls you and former President Weah says you must not go there, it is the opinion of (former) President Weah which is guaranteed by our constitution. He has the right to express his political views within the framework of freedom of expression.”

He claimed that the public would judge former and current public officials accused of alleged corruption if they did not submit to investigation.

Do you have strong evidence

He also stressed that the government must go to court with solid evidence to prosecute and convict those accused of alleged corruption and other financial crimes.

Bishop Brown explained that this compelling evidence could potentially lead to the imprisonment of former corrupt public officials or the confiscation of their property.

“You don't go to court because you have a plan or because someone claims someone is corrupt. If we are serious about fighting corruption, we need to invest more time and (financial) resources.”

He called on the government to hire lawyers with the necessary qualifications and experience to represent accused persons in corruption cases.