Corruption Trial of Samuel D. Tweah Faces Delays as 28 Jurors Are Rejected

Monrovia, Liberia: 28 potential jurors for the corruption trial of Samuel D. Tweah and his co-defendants were rejected by both the defense and prosecution. Jurors are selected to serve on a jury in court to listen to the evidence presented during a trial and decide whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. In this case, Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie explained that the court had been calling five prospective jurors at a time for questioning and screening. However, all the jurors who were called up were rejected by both the defense and prosecution.

At this point, only one juror remained from the group of 28, but since the court had been calling five jurors at a time for screening, this one remaining juror could not be selected. With no more jurors available, Judge Willie ordered the Jury Management Department to bring in 26 additional jurors to join the one remaining juror for screening in the next session of the trial.

During the proceedings, Judge Willie also addressed the issue of Juror J30-9131, who works as an Assistant Director for Gender at the National Bureau of Concessions. This juror failed to appear for the screening without providing any explanation. Because of the absence, the judge issued a “Writ of Arrest” for the juror to appear in court on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, before the case is called. Furthermore, Judge Willie directed the juror to explain why she should not be held in contempt of court and face a punishment, which could be either 14 days in jail or a US$100 fine.

Due to time constraints, Judge Willie decided to suspend the proceedings for the day. He announced that the trial would resume on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at 9:00 AM. Additionally, Judge Willie pointed out that the minutes from Monday’s session serve as official notice of assignment, and all other matters related to the case would be suspended until the next session.