Monrovia, Liberia – Liberia’s Ministry of Justice has pushed back against a social media allegation connecting Justice Minister N. Oswald Tweh’s official vehicle to alleged drug cartel financing, saying the claim misrepresents government records and could distract from ongoing efforts to dismantle narcotics networks in the country.
The Ministry issued the rebuttal on Sunday, August 23, 2026, after Martin K. N. Kollie questioned the origins of the vehicle being used by Tweh, which bears Government plate 0-13.
The Ministry said the allegation that the vehicle was a gift from drug cartels through Liberia’s Inspector General of Police is untrue and has no factual basis.
Instead, the Ministry provided a timeline intended to establish how the vehicle came into the Minister’s official use.
According to the statement, the Justice Ministry faced significant transportation challenges after the current administration took office, having inherited what it described as a small fleet of old and unreliable vehicles.
Some senior officials, the Ministry said, were forced to use personal vehicles, while others relied on government vehicles that were frequently out of service because of mechanical problems.
With no budgetary provision available at the time to purchase a new official vehicle for the Justice Minister, the Ministry said it formally requested assistance from the Inspector General of Police on November 10, 2025.
The LNP subsequently assigned a white Toyota Land Cruiser Prado to the Minister’s office.
The vehicle reportedly carried LNP identification GSA-LNP-03-14 and was part of a broader government fleet acquired for the police from Dutch Health BV.
The Ministry said the government-funded fleet was valued at approximately US$1.5 million and consisted of several categories of vehicles and equipment, including pickup trucks, jeeps, motorcycles and ambulances.
Ten Toyota Land Cruiser Prado units were reportedly among the vehicles designated as jeeps.
The Ministry said Tweh’s official vehicle was one of those government-owned units and remained under government ownership.
It therefore rejected any characterization of the vehicle as a personal gift, either from the Inspector General of Police or from an alleged narcotics trafficking organization.
The Ministry also stressed that the vehicle’s government identification and official assignment contradict the suggestion that it was secretly acquired as a private benefit.
It questioned why an alleged criminal financier would be expected to provide a vehicle that was subsequently processed through government channels and formally marked for official use.
The Justice Ministry also pointed to historical precedent, saying LNP-marked government vehicles have previously been assigned to officials working outside the police structure, including during previous administrations.
The Ministry’s response comes at a particularly sensitive time, with authorities facing intense public scrutiny over investigations into major drug seizures and allegations of possible links between narcotics trafficking and individuals with access to state institutions.
The Ministry said public discussion of such cases is legitimate, but warned against presenting unverified social media claims as established facts.
It urged citizens and media organizations to independently verify allegations, particularly those based on unnamed sources, before drawing conclusions about the conduct of government officials.
“No individual commentator is the arbiter of truth,” the Ministry said, arguing that claims must be subjected to proper verification.
Despite the controversy surrounding the vehicle, the Ministry said it would remain focused on its law enforcement responsibilities.
It said its priority is the ongoing fight against illicit drugs and efforts to dismantle criminal networks operating within Liberia.
The statement effectively sought to shift attention away from the vehicle controversy and back toward the broader narcotics investigation, amid growing national debate over the credibility, transparency and direction of Liberia’s anti-drug enforcement efforts.
