Liberian Government re-indicts former Governor of Central Bank

The Government of Liberia has re-indicted the former Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, Milton Weeks, on Monday, together with four other former board members of the bank.

State prosecutors had dropped the initial charges that same day, only to launch a second indictment accusing the former board of Economic Sabotage, Misuse of Public Money, Criminal Conspiracy, Theft of Property, and Fraud on the Internal Revenue of Liberia, to name but a few.

Mr Weeks allegedly ordered the minting of 2 million Liberian Dollars to be printed by Swedish firm Crane Currency and to be brought into the country. This comes as part of a long-standing investigation into the reported disappearance of L$16 billion from the Central Bank last year.    

The indictment reads, “at a material time divers in 2017 either out of mischief or deception the Defendants allegedly ordered the destruction or discarding of some of the legacy banknotes from the vault of the CBL to remove them from circulation but the whole exercise turned out to be a complete charade only invented as a form of trick and artifice by Co-defendant Milton Weeks and the Board of Governors to mislead the public”.

The indictment continues to note that Mr Weeks and the former CBL Board were in “flagrant disregard” of Constitutional authority.

Charles Sirleaf, son of former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, has been cleared of all charges following the initial indictment.

Former Governor Weeks stood down in January 2018 when President George Weah took office.

Photo: Liberian Observer