The Civil Society Network of Liberia says it is dismayed over allegations against businessman, Chris Weah, that he has been operating a dubious and illegal business.
It has been in the media that the former Inspector General of the Liberia National Police and others accused Chris Weah of conspiring and stealing an amount of US$4,040,687.53, and even offered to bribe the Liberia National Police with an amount of US$100,000.
According to the report, it was alleged that Weah postured as representative of the Government of Liberia to sell crude oil, and also forged licenses and certificates in the name of the National Investment Commission for Oil Block-9.
This led the Ministry of Justice to file an action of Criminal Conspiracy, Criminal Solicitation, Impersonating Officials, forgery, among others, against Chris Weah at the Monrovia Magisterial Court.
Having conducted investigation into these allegations, coupled with review done on the case file, the Civil Society Network of Liberia described the allegations against Chris Weah as false, misleading, and manufactured lies intended to undermine his productive entrepreneurial credentials.
The group defends that those allegations that Chris Weah conspired and stole US$4,040,687.53 under the guise of owning Oil Block-9 are irrational and illogical, adding, “It is unimaginable for one to claim that Mr. Weah took any amount from an investor as owner of Oil Block-9 because the process of owning and selling oil blocks is rigorous.”
“To speak of the least, it makes no sense for any investor to make payment of such whooping amount to an individual or company without exhausting the processes involved in the takeover of an oil block,” the civil society group intoned.
They contend that the allegation of a bribery offer of US$100,000 by Weah to Sudue and other LNP officers is not only farfetched, but a ploy designed to cover up the US$12,000 they forcefully took from Weah, stating, “Sudue and his LNP officers illegally and wrongfully seized the amount of US$12,000 from Mr. Weah, in violation of Article 20 of the Liberian Constitution which protects the right to private property.”
They disclosed that the investigation of the Civil Society Network of Liberia also established that the allegation of impersonation against Weah has no iota of truth. There is no substance and Prima Facie to prove that Weah has been impersonating as representative of the Government of Liberia.
“Our review of Mr. Weah’s business documents showed no connection to Wasu Holding Inc., as insinuated by the former Police Inspector General, Patrick Sudue; instead, Mr. Weah legally owns a registered international corporate business entity named Chrisco Holdings that exports Liberian foods on the world market, including palm oil, cassava leaf, dry meat, fish, etc.
They vogued that the business is also registered to engage into mining and quarrying activities (exploration of gold, diamonds and other minerals), stressing, “We have in our possession the business registration certificate, Business License, and Articles of Incorporation. This renowned international business venture has been the source of Mr. Weah’s wealth, properties, and monies.”
The Civil Society Network said it welcomes the ruling of the Civil Law Court of Montserrado County in dismissing the unwarranted charges of criminal conspiracy and other crimes brought against Chris Weah.
“Judge Ousman F. Feika was right to have held former LNP Inspector General, Patrick Sudue, and others, liable to restitute the US$12,000 illegally taken from Mr. Weah,” the Network said.
On Wednesday, January 31, 2024, the Sixth Judicial Circuit Civil Law Court in Montserrado County adjudged Sudue and Victor Gboyah and Sam Ballah guilty for the illegal seizure of US$12,000 from a Liberian businessman, Christian Weah, owner of Chrisco Holdings.
The court mandated that the money in the possession of Sudue and the two senior-ranking officers of the Liberia National Police be returned to the Chief Executive Officer of the Chrisco Holdings Program through the office of the sheriff.
Sudue and his co-defendants accused Weah of being the suspect in the illegal financial transactions when transfers of varying amounts were being made to his UBA account in Liberia by another person.
The record before the court revealed that the plaintiff filed an ‘Action to Recover chattel’ on December 12, 2023 against the defendants, basically alleging that he is the owner of Chrisco Holdings, a corporate entity that exports Liberian foods on the world market, including palm oil, cassava leaf, dry meat, and fish.
Weah alleged further that on November 5, 2023, at about 3:00PM, while he had come from a football meeting, co-defendants Victor Gboyah and Sam Ballah went to him and said that the LNP had a charity event ongoing at the Liberia National Police headquarters and so they wanted him to go and make financial contributions to the charity.
He stated that based on the request, he followed the co-defendants on Ashmun Street, unknown to him that the building the co-defendants carried him in was the office of the Major Crimes Division of the police, the offices of the co-defendants.
According to him, while in the defendants’ office, they forcefully and illegally, without due process, took from his pocket US$12,000, and have since refused to return same to him.
Weah noted that based on the illegal act of the defendants, he informed defendant Sudue, that co-defendants Gboyah and Ballah wrongfully arrested him and subjected him to an investigation without his lawyers, an act that contravenes the due process of law, and asked that he, Patrick, instruct his officers to return his money, but Sudue refused.
The complainant expressed that the refusal of defendant Sudue to take action against his boys made him to believe that he supported the unlawful conduct of his subordinates.
The defendants then informed the court that when Weah was arrested on November 3, 2023, and taken to their office, the plaintiff attempted bribing them with US$100,000, but brought forth an initial amount of US$11,600, which they seized as fruit of the crime and ordered him arrested.
