By James T. Brooks
MONROVIA — Eugene Lenn Nagbe, Chief of Office Staff to former President George Weah, says the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) is now treating the renewed legal scrutiny of former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah and the detention of former Chief of Protocol Nora Finda Bundoo as a political battle rather than a purely judicial process.
Speaking on OK FM, Nagbe accused the Unity Party-led administration of weaponizing Liberia’s justice system against political opponents, arguing that recent actions against former Weah-era officials have severely damaged public trust in the judiciary’s independence.
Nagbe’s remarks come amid ongoing state investigations into alleged jury tampering following Tweah’s acquittal in a high-profile corruption trial, while Bundoo remains in custody facing separate criminal charges.
Addressing the situation involving Tweah, Nagbe stressed that the former finance minister had already cleared his name through constitutional due process after a jury returned a not-guilty verdict.
“What is happening is an attempt to use extrajudicial means to bring him back before a kangaroo body,” Nagbe said. “The case was heard, the jury deliberated, they came up with a verdict and declared him not guilty.”
Nagbe sharply criticized law enforcement for questioning and arresting several jurors after the trial concluded, noting that the panel was under direct court supervision throughout the proceedings. He argued that any suspicions of improper influence should have been raised before the verdict, not after the panel was formally disbanded.
According to Nagbe, statements made by arrested jurors reinforce the CDC’s belief that citizens are being penalized merely for performing their civic duty. Consequently, he stated, the opposition party considers the matter to have crossed from legal procedure into political persecution.
“This whole matter is a political affair,” Nagbe declared. “As the Congress for Democratic Change, we’ve decided that this is a political matter and we’ll handle it politically.”
Nagbe asserted that as a legally registered party, the CDC will employ every lawful strategy available to counter actions targeting its leadership.
“The CDC is a registered legal political institution. We have political tools at our disposal,” he said.
When pressed on whether the party planned to mobilize street demonstrations, Nagbe declined to share specifics but left the option firmly on the table.
“We’ll roll every step out,” Nagbe noted. “Protest is one word, but we have a slew of available tools as one of Liberia’s biggest political parties.”
He characterized the government’s legal maneuvers as a direct assault on the party itself: “This is a political fight against one of our very senior founding members. It’s an attack not on Samuel Tweah alone, but an attack on the CDC.”
Turning to former Chief of Protocol Nora Finda Bundoo, Nagbe condemned the trial court’s decision to set her criminal appearance bond at $8 million USD, calling it excessive and a violation of her constitutional right to bail.
“It’s very unfortunate because the right to bail is constitutional,” Nagbe said. “The judge said the bond should be US$8 million. That’s excessive.”
Nagbe disclosed that defense attorneys are appealing to a higher court to overturn the lower court’s bail conditions. He challenged state prosecutors to try the case on its merits rather than forcing pretrial detention.
“If the state has a strong case against Finda, they should be anxious for the trial to start,” Nagbe said. “Instead, they’re anxious to jail her before the trial.”
Nagbe argued that the administration’s strategy appears geared toward humiliating opposition figures rather than securing legitimate convictions.
“The aim is not to win cases,” he insisted. “The aim is to disgrace people and to subjugate CDC officials.”
To illustrate his point, Nagbe pointed to former Commerce Minister Mawine G. Diggs. He noted that the Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force had publicly claimed she was barred from exiting the country, an authority reserved strictly for the judiciary. Nagbe emphasized that Diggs subsequently obtained official court permission to travel, went abroad, and voluntarily returned to Liberia, demonstrating that former officials are willing to face justice fairly
The Unity Party administration has repeatedly dismissed claims that it is abusing the justice system. Government representatives maintain that corruption inquiries and criminal prosecutions are conducted independently by judicial authorities, ensuring all defendants receive full due process under Liberian law.
Legal proceedings for Tweah, Bundoo, and other former officials remain ongoing before the courts.
Comments are closed.