Three members of the Liberian government, including the chief of staff for President George Weah, have been sanctioned by the United States for allegedly continuing to engage in public corruption, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
The National Port Authority’s managing director, Bill Twehway, Weah’s chief of staff, Nathaniel McGill, and the chief prosecutor of Liberia, Sayma Syrenius Cephus, are also the targets of the sanctions.
“Through their corruption these officials have undermined democracy in Liberia for their own personal benefit,” Brian Nelson, Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.
The designations, according to him, “show that the United States remains committed to bringing corrupt perpetrators accountable and to the sustained support of the Liberian people.”
According to the statement, McGill, Cephus, and Twehway are being named as foreign government officials who allegedly engaged in corruption, such as the theft of public resources, seizing private property for personal benefit, or bribery.
According to the penalties, all of the three officials’ assets and interests in assets that are located within the country must be frozen and disclosed to Treasury, and anyone who transacts with them may be subject to their own sanctions, according to the statement.