Africa-Press – Liberia. Liberia’s Finance and Development Planning Minister, Samuel D. Tweah, Jr, has branded as ‘unjust and unfair’ the US sanctions imposed on him and other top government officials for their involvement in significant corruption.
“Pursuant to Section 7031(c) [of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2023] the United States is publicly designating Tweah, Chie, and Nuquay, for their involvement in significant corruption by abusing their public positions through soliciting, accepting, and offering bribes to manipulate legislative processes and public funding, including legislative reporting and mining sector activity,” the State Department said in a statement announcing the sanctions on December 11.
“As part of this action, their immediate family members are also designated, including their spouses Delecia Berry Tweah, Abigail Chie, Ruthtoria Brown Nuquay, and Tweah and Nuquay’s minor children.”
Addressing a news conference in Monrovia on Thursday, December 14, at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, Tweah argued that the sanctions are unjust and unfair, considering the complexities of Liberia’s political landscape.
“I have invited you here today to respond to U.S. Department of State’s imposition of visa restriction on me, Senate Pro Tempore Senator Albert Tugbe Chie Senator Emmanuel Nuquay on December 11, 2023,” Tweah said.
According to him, the recent designations “are a mere strategy to disorganize the CDC. At the same time, the incoming Government struggles to find its bearing and to prevent a powerful, experienced and knowledgeable CDC from mounting the fiercest political opposition,” Tweah said.
He added that the sanctions undermine Liberia’s sovereignty and disregards the country’s efforts towards democratic progress. He asserts that the sanctions are based on a narrow understanding of the country’s political dynamics, failing to acknowledge the challenges faced by the CDC government in implementing reforms and delivering on its promises.
Tweah believes that these sanctions are unjust and fail to consider the complexities of Liberia’s political landscape. According to him, the above verdict against them and their respective families is unbelievably unjust, unfair and a fundamental violation of their rights.
“Seven persons receiving designations in a space of three years from largely one side of the political divide in a country that is both a democratic and has more recently become a macroeconomic exception in the West African region should tell U.S. Cabinet Secretaries, U.S. Congressional leaders and U.S. Presidents that something is afoul and requires a holistic review,” Tweah said.
“I hope in fighting to overturn the injustice that has been meted to me and my family, I can contribute immensely to contribute to perfecting the use of American power for the greater good of the world and of humanity,” he said.
Tweah, however, vowed to fight for justice meted against him and his family, irrespective of the might of the powerful individuals or the country inflicting such harm.
“As a father and a husband,” he said. “I will fight injustice meted out to me and my family irrespective of the might of the power, of the individual or of the country inflicting that harm. I have always loved the United States and its ideals. I lived close to a decade as a resident of the U.S. and received graduate education there. America is a truly great country and democracy.”
Tweah explained that though he loves America, he did not become an American citizen.
“I have six children, one of whom was born in the United States. Now, even this American child is being prevented from entering the U.S because of this designation. My youngest daughter Salecia is two years old, and I am 52. In ten years, she will be 12 and I pray to be around to have an honest discussion about this designation, its fairness and how she sees its impact on her life.
“But this is the world in which we live today. Power can be used to construct and to equally destroy. In this digital Information age, the age of social media, where information moves faster to impact or to destroy, there is a role in the American value regime for corrective justice.
Moreover, Tweah questions the credibility of the sanctions, suggesting that they may be politically motivated or influenced by external interests. He argues that such actions undermine bilateral relations between Liberia and the countries imposing the sanctions.
According to him, as Minister of Finance and Development Planning, his job is to provide approved resources to the National Legislature upon request subject to the availability of cash. “I have never influenced ‘legislative processes’ whatever that implies. Specific reference to the mining sector confuses me but I believe this reference pertains to my involvement to developing a multi-user gateway through the third amendment of ArcelorMittal’s current concession and through granting rail access to HPX, an American company looking to transport rail from Guinea through Liberia.”
Tweah said as a Minister of Finance and Development Planning he never abused his position by “soliciting, accepting and offering bribes to manipulate legislative processes and public funding, including legislative reporting and mining sector activities.”
“I have never done so whether in dealings with the National Legislature or in dealings with any other branches or institutions of the Government of Liberia or with private sector actors.”
Tweah then questioned the credibility of these sanctions, suggesting they may be politically motivated or influenced by external interests.
He said legitimate monies received by the Government of Liberia for the development of Liberia through the national budget are never a bribe. That an agreement has been difficult to reach because of the complexity surrounding a pre-existing agreement is no reason to threaten government officials with sanctions.
“I am providing these explanations and contexts because these are chatters that have underpinned threats of sanction against me and my family from powerful individuals. It is important for the public to understand and know these things. We have not discussed them publicly as a government but now have an obligation to do so under the current circumstances,” Tweah asserted.
The Liberian Finance Minister said that he was advised that to avoid sanction, “I should withdraw my support for ArcelorMittal’s third amendment until after the election. It was on this basis that I advised President Weah to turn over negotiations on the rail to the U.S. Government since too much propaganda and misinformation were threatening to destroy members of his government.”
He said the president obliged and the Americans for a brief moment tried to bring both HPX and A together to reach some understanding on the multi-user rail system. Meetings were held in London and Washington. Unfortunately, these meetings did not achieve anything, and the Americans withdrew and turned negotiations back to the Government of Liberia.
Tweah asserted that the truth is that Arcelor Mittal has an agreement with the Government of Liberia signed by the Unity Party Government that gives Mittal the right to use the Nimba rail and be an operator of this rail. In the Government’s vision to develop a multiuser rail system, we have tried to have Mittal relinquish operatorship of the rail to an Independent third-party rail operator for purposes of fairness and equity.
Mittal, according to him, has not been open to this position, and we have been in a deadlock for more than three years. Realizing the impossibility of having Mittal give up rail operatorship, and knowing the Government was not willing to proceed to international arbitration, the Government moved to a position of having Mittal become the User-Operator in exchange for other critical rights Mittal would have to give up under its current concession that would enable fair and equitable access to third parties such as HPX.
“I narrated all these positionings and repositionings to the Americans to prove that neither I nor other members of the Government of Liberia were biased toward one investor against the othe, but that we were bent on finding a practical solution to a very complex problem,” the Liberian finance said.
Tweah said these public designations without any due process, without any investigation to which those who are accused are involved, where they have the chance to dispel rumors and counter misrepresentations or misinformation, do not represent the values and norms of the democratic freedom-loving America I have admired since my youth.
“I will argue here publicly that these outcomes do not represent the stated foreign policy objectives as conceived and understood by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and by President Joseph R. Biden. I know these outcomes are the work of powerfully placed officials or bureaucrats within the U.S Government who have deep connections and relations here in Liberia and who are sworn and are committed to weakening the CDC,” he added.
He said, “I also observe that this is a fundamental unfairness in the conduct of foreign policy in a country and against a government that has shown nothing but commitment to the stated foreign policy objectives and interests of the United States.”
According to him, to conceivably eliminate them both and prevent the CDC from controlling both houses, since it is clear the CDC will control the House of Representatives, it became necessary to use State Department designations to summarily squelch their chances.
“To do this, you have to add Samuel Tweah in, who had already been targeted in the Acelor Mittal saga as related above. By doing this you might strengthen the hand of the Unity party to possibly control the Senate while achieving the other important goal of decapitating a major intellectual lynchpin of the CDC,” he said.
For More News And Analysis About Liberia Follow Africa-Press
