By Desmond Gbeleh Wion
MONROVIA, LIBERIA — In a strongly worded and legally nuanced defense of the Boakai administration’s anti-corruption drive, the Unity Party Youth Congress (UPYC) has pushed back against growing public criticism surrounding the controversial verdict in the alleged US$6.2 million economic sabotage case involving former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah Jr., arguing that the outcome represents “progress, not failure” in Liberia’s evolving justice system.
In a detailed press statement issued Tuesday from its Broad Street headquarters in Monrovia, the youth wing of the ruling Unity Party Youth Congress mounted an aggressive institutional defense of the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General Cllr. Oswald Tweh, while attempting to strategically reshape public perception surrounding the acquittal of Tweah on several major charges.
The statement, signed by UPYC Head of Secretariat Amb. Evans B. Tuku, described the verdict not as a collapse of the government’s corruption case, but as evidence that Liberia’s judicial system is beginning to function independently under the Boakai administration.
“The objective was never ‘lock up Tweah or nothing,’” the UPYC declared. “The objective was to prove that state resources were stolen and hold accountable parties responsible.
Three convictions in a case of this magnitude represent measurable progress in a country long criticized for impunity.”
Youth Congress Frames Verdict as “Partial Legal Victory”
The statement comes amid widespread debate following the jury’s decision to acquit former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah on multiple counts while convicting three co-defendants linked to the transaction.
Critics, especially opposition supporters, have portrayed the outcome as a humiliating setback for the government’s anti-graft campaign. But the UPYC sought to turn that narrative on its head, arguing that the convictions secured by state prosecutors demonstrate that the Ministry of Justice is capable of prosecuting politically exposed individuals without manipulating the courts.
According to the Youth Congress, the prosecution’s inability to secure a conviction against Tweah on all counts was not proof of incompetence, but rather a reflection of the legal burden required under Liberian criminal law.
The statement emphasized that economic sabotage cases require prosecutors to establish both mens rea — the guilty mind — and actus reus — the guilty act — beyond reasonable doubt.
The UPYC argued that while prosecutors may have established strong circumstantial evidence linking Tweah to the controversial transaction, the jury apparently concluded that the prosecution failed to provide a direct evidentiary connection proving personal criminal intent or unlawful enrichment.
“The acquittal demonstrates that Liberia is no longer operating under politically motivated justice,” the statement asserted. “If government imprisoned individuals without sufficient evidence, then the public would accuse this administration of weaponizing the courts.”
Defending Attorney General Oswald Tweh’s Record
Beyond the Tweah verdict, the Youth Congress used the statement to aggressively market what it described as major reforms and measurable achievements under the leadership of Attorney General Cllr. Oswald Tweh at the Ministry of Justice.
Citing the Ministry’s National Performance and Results Report covering January to November 2025, the UPYC claimed the Justice Ministry has recorded a 62.5 percent conviction rate, winning 60 out of 96 completed trials.
The group described the figure as “statistically significant” in a justice system historically plagued by delays, weak prosecutions, and massive case backlogs.
The statement further highlighted several initiatives the Youth Congress believes demonstrate structural reform within the justice sector, including:
The establishment of a whistleblower office;
Increased collaboration with the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission;
Diversion programs that reportedly kept 422 juveniles out of adult prisons;
Renovation of multiple prison facilities across Liberia;
Funding for the construction of a new prison facility in Barclayville, Grand Kru County;
Increased provision of prison rations, medical supplies, and operational support for correction facilities.
The UPYC argued that such reforms directly support President Joseph Boakai’s ARREST Agenda, particularly Pillar III focused on the rule of law and governance.
“Focus on the Convicted, Not the Acquitted”
In perhaps the most politically calculated section of the release, the Youth Congress openly acknowledged the growing public frustration over Tweah’s acquittal and attempted to provide party loyalists with what appeared to be a communications strategy for defending the verdict publicly.
“The story is not that Tweah walks,” the statement emphasized. “The story is that three former officials have been convicted for stealing from the Liberian people.”
The Youth Congress urged supporters to focus public attention on sentencing, restitution, and asset forfeiture proceedings rather than the acquittal itself.
The group further suggested that if criminal prosecution thresholds were not met against Tweah, government lawyers should consider pursuing civil litigation using the lower “preponderance of evidence” standard.
Political observers say the statement reflects growing concern within the ruling establishment over the political fallout generated by the verdict, particularly among citizens who expected sweeping convictions in one of Liberia’s most closely watched financial crime prosecutions in recent years.
Still, the UPYC maintained that the broader anti-corruption campaign remains intact.
“For the first time in a decade,” the statement concluded, “members of a former Finance Minister’s team are facing imprisonment for financial crimes of national significance. One acquittal does not derail the ARREST Agenda.”
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