Weah asks for US help to probe mysterious deaths

• Posted on October 13, 2020October 13, 2020
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Liberia’s President George Weah has asked the US to help with investigations into the mysterious deaths of three senior officials in finance-related posts, the state-linked Liberia News Agency (LINA) has reported.

The deaths had sparked rumours of an assassination campaign, AFP news agency reported.

LINA quoted Mr Weah as urging people not to speculate, and to await the outcome of investigations.

Mr Weah had instructed Justice Minister Frank Musa Dean to coordinate his efforts with partners of the government, including the US, LINA reported.

It named one of the officials who had died as the head of the Internal Audit Agency, Emmanuel Nyeswua.

The other two worked for the Liberia Revenue Authority, but LINA did not name them.

AFP news agency reported that four – not three – officials had died in just over a week.

They were:

• Mr Nyeswua, who was found dead in his apartment in the capital, Monrovia, on Saturday
• An official at the Liberia Revenue Authority who died in a car crash in Monrovia on 4 October
• Two more officials at the tax-collection agency who were found dead in a car in the city the next day.

AFP quoted Mr Weah as saying that the US embassy in Monrovia had been asked to help, including in finding a pathologist to examine the corpses to determine what caused the deaths.

-BBC