‘We Have Normalized Corruption’: U.S.-Based Liberian Man Moses Sartre Questions Public Celebration of Not Guilty Verdict in $6.2 Million Theft Case, Warns of Moral Decay as Ordinary Citizens Defend Elites Amid Failing Services
BY: Rufus Divine Brooks Jr.
MONROVIA — U.S.-based Liberian commentator Moses Sartre has expressed dismay over what he describes as public normalization of corruption following celebrations of the not guilty verdict in the $6.2 million economic sabotage trial involving former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah and others.
In a statement posted , Sartre wrote: “Seeing many poor citizens celebrate a verdict of ‘Not Guilty’ in a case involving the theft of public funds makes me wonder whether, as a society, we have normalized corruption beyond even the government officials we criticize.”
He described the public reaction as “uncomfortable to watch,” citing widespread poverty, unemployment, poor roads, inadequate schools, and under-resourced hospitals.
“These are the same people who continue to suffer from inadequate social services — people without running water, reliable electricity, properly functioning schools, and adequately resourced hospitals — yet they celebrate this acquittal,” Sartre noted.
Posing a series of questions, he asked: “Who benefited from the disappearance of the 6.2 million?
Why does accountability often appear weak when powerful people are involved, even though the jurors are ordinary citizens who themselves have been denied these very basic services?
Why are ordinary citizens quickly punished for minor offenses, while elites frequently escape consequences, even when ordinary people are given the opportunity to adjudicate these cases?”
Sartre emphasized that his concern “is not about hatred toward any individual,” but “about the moral burden of public leadership and the daily reality faced by suffering citizens.”
He added: “In a poor country, celebrating the possible misuse or disappearance of public funds is difficult to morally defend.
A court verdict may settle the legal question, but it does not erase the deeper public concerns about governance, transparency, and accountability.”
He further argued that citizens share responsibility for the cycle of impunity:
“We, the ordinary people, are also part of the problem.
We tolerate corruption. We excuse wrongdoing. We are often dishonest with ourselves.
This cycle will continue unless we learn to genuinely love and value our country. We lack discipline. Sad.”
Sartre’s remarks add to a growing national debate over the mixed verdict in the high-profile case, which saw two former top officials acquitted while two others were convicted on multiple counts.