Four Liberian government officials placed on U.S. sanctions list
The United States Department of Treasury has enlisted four (4) Liberian government officials for sanctions over alleged corruption.
The officials, Samuel Tweah, Minister of Finance and Development Planning, and Senators Albert Chie and Emmanuel Nuquay are being sanctioned under Section 7031 (c) of the Department of State Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2023.
The sanctions also extend to their immediate relatives, Delecia Berry Tweah, Abigail Chie and Ruthtoria Brown Nuquay as well as Tweah and Nuqay’s minor children.
The said officials reportedly abused their public positions by soliciting, accepting and offering bribes to manipulate legislative processes and public funding including activities in the mining sector, according to local news outlet Front Page Africa.
The fourth person on the U.S. sanction list is Mayor of Monrovia, Jefferson Koijee who was designated by the U.S. Department of Treasury pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818 which targets indiciduals engaged in serious human rights abuses and corruption.
The mayor has also been accused of corrupt acts such as bribery and misappropriation of state assets. Front Page Africa notes that the government official was also alleged to have pressured anti-corruption investigators to halt all investigations in that regard.
The United States through these sanctions aims to hold accountable corrupt individuals and persons involved in human right abuses globally.
The actions were announced during the opening of the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention Against Corruption, emphasizing the international effort to combat corruption.
The U.S. Department of State is designating over 30 individuals under Section 7031(c), while the Department of the Treasury is designating two individuals and 44 entities pursuant to E.O. 13818. The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, upon which E.O. 13818 is built, enables the U.S. to target individuals and entities involved in corruption and human rights abuses.
Section 7031(c) mandates that foreign government officials with credible information linking them to significant corruption or gross violations of human rights are not allowed entry into the United States until investigated.
