Liberia: Opposition Links Justice Minister's Removal to Weah's Return

What the report says

Liberia’s opposition Congress for Democratic Change has tied President Joseph Boakai’s removal of Justice Minister Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh to what it says was a dispute over the possible arrest of former President George Weah. The claim was voiced in Monrovia by Montserrado County District #9 Representative Frank Saah Foko, who alleged Tweh resisted a request to arrest Weah when the former president returned to Liberia. Foko did not present evidence, and the Boakai administration has previously denied that it planned to detain Weah.

According to The New Dawn, Boakai announced on Wednesday that Tweh would be replaced as minister of justice and attorney general, while Augustine Fayiah was also removed as solicitor general. The Executive Mansion said both officials would be reassigned to other roles, but it did not give a reason for the changes. Cllr. Betty Lamin-Blamo was named minister of justice, and Cllr. Abrahim Boimah Sillah, Sr. became solicitor general.

The personnel shift comes as Liberia’s Justice Ministry is handling several sensitive matters, including a drug-trafficking investigation involving former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor and others. The removals have prompted public discussion about continuity in the justice system and the timing of leadership changes during active prosecutions. A commentator quoted in the report said the administration should have explained the decision more clearly, though the government itself has not connected the shake-up to Weah or any of the controversies raised by the opposition.