By Bill W. Cooper
In what may appear to be surprising to many Liberians, President Joseph Boakai has nominated Cllr. Oswald Tweh as Liberia’s Justice Minister-designate, replacing Cllr. Cooper Kruah, who was earlier nominated to similar post.
Tweh, who is one of Liberia’s renowned legal practitioners and is also of the Pierre, Tweh & Associates, once confirmed, will serve as Liberia’s Attorney General, replacing former Minister, Frank Musa Dean.
In less than a month, the President has nominated three persons to serve as Justice Minister, beginning with the appointment of Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi, Cllr. Kruah, and now Cllr. Oswald Tweh, to the above-mentioned position.
Kruah, whose nomination has been stalled due to his ties with Nimba County Senator, Prince Johnson, who has been vocal against President Boakai, was nominated as Labor Minister.
Cllr. Kruah’s abrupt withdrawal from the Ministry of Justice comes following several media reports citing his alleged breach of ethics in the legal profession, allegedly diverting clients’ money to personal use, but has since vehemently denied the allegations.
According to the allegation, the Civil Law Court also cast doubt on Cllr. Kruah, while he was representing one Edgar Syney, on grounds that he is indebted to his company for US$58,814, a sum he allegedly refused to pay.
Syney, in a letter to President Boakai on January 8, complained that Kruah was still ‘illegally withholding’ US$58,814 out of a total of US$108,941 received from the Civil Law Court in 2012 as a judgment reward for his company.
Kruah’s actions, Syney added, resulted in a “Guilty Verdict” from the Grievance and Ethics Committee of the Supreme Court, causing significant embarrassment for his struggling company.
Also, Kruah, serving as Posts and Telecommunications Minister, was accused of holding shares in a company actively mining and logging in Liberia, a violation of laws governing the two industries, as well as a breach of the Liberian Constitution and the Code of Conduct for Public Officials.
But Cllr. Kruah categorically denied any wrongful doing, ranging from corruption to conflict of interest, as is being reported in various media outlets.
Meanwhile, President Boakai also made additional appointments in government, with Unity Party (UP) Chairperson, Wilmot Paye, being nominated as Minister of Mines and Energy.
Others nominated in government are William K. Mulbah, Deputy Inspector General for Administration, Liberia National Police (LNP); Atty. J. Nelson Freeman, Deputy Inspector General for Operations, LNP, and Simeon Frank, Deputy Inspector General for Crime Services, LNP.
Also, Sadatu L.M Reeves was nominated as Deputy Inspector General for Training & Manpower Development, LNP; Augustine S. Karpeh, Deputy Minister for Post, Ministry of Post & Telecommunications (MPT), and Charlene Taylor, Assistant Minister for Afro-Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
Others are Rudolph Gbee Natt, Deputy Minister for Roads and Rails, Ministry of Transport (MOT); Patience B. Randall, Registrar General, Liberian Business Registry (LBR); Julius D. Dennis, Director General, Liberia Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA), and Patrick Doe, Deputy Director for Administration, National Security Agency (NSA).
Still, others include Darlington A.P Smith as Deputy Director General for Human Resource Management, Civil Service Agency (CSA); M. Boakai Jaleiba, Vice president for Administration, National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), and Al Hasan Fadiga, Deputy Director for Operations, Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA).
These nominations, according to the Executive Mansion, where applicable, are subject to confirmation by the Liberian Senate.
