-ANC Warns in Ex-VP Taylor Case
MONROVIA, Liberia — The Alternative National Congress has called on the Liberian government to ensure an independent and impartial investigation into the narcotics charges against former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, warning that justice must not be “selective” or politically motivated.
In a press statement issued Sunday, the opposition party expressed concern that authorities appear eager to target individuals associated with the former Congress for Democratic Change while questions surrounding figures connected to the current Unity Party administration remain unanswered.
The ANC stressed that Howard-Taylor, as a fellow opposition leader and former vice president, is entitled to all constitutional protections, dignity, due process, and the presumption of innocence. The party emphasized that her political standing places her neither above the law nor beneath its protection, and that allegations against her must be established through due process in a court of law rather than through public spectacle, political maneuvering, or trial by media.
The party said it firmly supports efforts to uncover the full extent of narcotics networks operating within and through Liberia, describing the movement of massive quantities of illegal drugs through the country’s borders as a serious threat to national security, public health, and the future of Liberia’s young people. The ANC added that those responsible must be identified and held accountable.
However, the party raised pointed questions about the timing and focus of the investigation, stating that it is deeply concerned by the perception that the government is eager to target individuals associated with the former CDC while questions surrounding the involvement of individuals connected to the current Unity Party administration remain unanswered. The ANC noted that the historic drug bust that uncovered nearly four tonnes of cocaine in Margibi County occurred three years into the current administration’s tenure and under its direct watch.
The party further observed that Liberia’s own Police Inspector General has publicly indicated that current senior government officials were implicated in the matter. The ANC declared that if the rule of law is to have meaning, then the law must pursue every person reasonably suspected of involvement—whether affiliated with the opposition, the ruling party, the security establishment, or any other institution—with the same vigor and impartiality.
The ANC demanded a fully independent, transparent, and credible investigation into the entire narcotics network, insisting that the Liberian people deserve to know every individual or entity that financed, facilitated, protected, transported, or otherwise participated in these criminal operations. The party stressed that no political affiliation, government position, security role, or personal connection should protect from accountability.
The ANC also issued a warning against using state institutions to target political opponents, stating that political opponents must be defeated at the ballot box through superior ideas, competent leadership, and a convincing vision for Liberia—not through the weaponization or selective use of state institutions.
The party called on the government to establish an independent and credible investigation into the entire narcotics network, follow the evidence wherever it leads regardless of political affiliation or government status, ensure equal application of the law without fear or favor, protect the constitutional rights and due process of every person under investigation, and provide the Liberian people with transparent answers about the full scope of the narcotics operation and those responsible for facilitating it.
The ANC concluded with a clear message to the government: justice—not partisan politics—must direct the actions of the state, and that no one is above the law and no one is beneath its protection.
