-Cllr. Cephus Tells Pres. Boakai
MONROVIA — Prominent Liberian lawyer Cllr. Saymah Syrenius Cephus has publicly called on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to apologize to former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor over the manner of her arrest and detention, while insisting he takes no position on the drug allegations against her.
In an open letter to the President, Cephus said he fully supports the government’s war on drugs but argued that the process used against Howard-Taylor mirrors the tactics of the People’s Redemption Council (PRC) era of the 1980s, when former officials were condemned before trial by Special Military Tribunals.
“Do we need to effect the arrest of a former First Lady, a former Senator, and a former constitutional Vice President in a manner that appears degrading, when what is being said about her remains an allegation?” Cephus wrote.
He questioned why the government, if it possesses “overwhelming evidence,” filed a Bill of Information to admit Howard-Taylor to bail. “Is the government now acting as both prosecution and defense in the same case? Was she a flight risk? Was she invited for questioning prior to a publicized arrest?” he asked.
The lawyer also criticized the public relations strategy that followed the arrest, describing government apologists who demanded a confession as undermining the presumption of innocence.
“That is like catching a man, beating him, calling him a ‘rogue,’ and then demanding that he confess to being a rogue. It is not justice. It is public humiliation. This is a serious misstep in the ARREST Agenda,” Cephus said.
He invoked the Kpelle tradition of non-violence, arguing that a Kpelle woman and former Vice President deserves the dignity the law and Liberian culture demand, even while facing allegations.
Cephus was careful to distinguish between the allegations and the treatment of the accused. “I am not asking for an apology for the allegations linking her to drugs. No, far from it. Let the court determine that and let the chips fall where they may,” he said.
“I am asking for an apology for the manner of treatment meted out against a former Vice President. For the near-naked spectacle before television cameras as if she was destined for the gallows. For treating a former Vice President like a convicted criminal awaiting execution before trial.”
He reminded the President of words he said Boakai spoke to him years ago during the Alexander Benedict Cummings trial: “This nation needs well-meaning Liberians who, as friends of the President, will look him in the eyes and say: Mr. President, this action is wrong. They must value truth over friendship and call a spade a spade.” “Without any hesitation, Mr. President: you owe Madam Jewel Howard Taylor a public apology. And I mean it,” Cephus concluded.
Background
Howard-Taylor was arrested and formally charged with drug trafficking and money laundering in August 2026 in a case that connects her to an alleged international narcotics syndicate — Liberia’s biggest drug-related investigation to date.
On August 19, 2026, the former Vice President — who served from 2018 to 2024 and is the ex-wife of former warlord-turned-president Charles Taylor — was intercepted in Congo Town while headed to the Roberts International Airport for a speaking engagement in Accra, Ghana.
According to police and indictments filed at the Monrovia City Court, she faces charges including drug trafficking and illicit trafficking, money laundering, unlicensed importation, sale and distribution of controlled substances, criminal conspiracy, facilitation and solicitation, and aiding the consummation of a crime.
Liberia’s Police Chief, Gregory Coleman, said Howard-Taylor is linked to a $317 million cocaine shipment weighing roughly 237.6 kilograms intercepted in July 2026. Investigators said travel records, financial logs, and intercepted witness evidence connect her to the international cartel.
Three foreign nationals — two Croatians, Nikolai Ivancic and Mihovil Vrovac, and one Ukrainian, Tara Zaderieko — have also been charged in absentia. On August 25, 2026, Howard-Taylor was escorted by armed guards to the Monrovia City Court and remanded to the Monrovia Central Prison to await trial.
Her legal team’s request for medical release after she suffered an asthma attack and a spike in blood pressure was denied. Prosecutors sought to introduce audio recordings they claim capture Howard-Taylor discussing money, political power, and protection for the drug cartel. Defense lawyers fiercely fought to block their playback.
Howard-Taylor denies all allegations. Her party, the Coalition for Democratic Change, has condemned her detention as a “politically motivated witch-hunt” and accused the government of weaponizing the justice system.
President Boakai, who took office in 2024 and launched a sweeping anti-narcotics campaign, has said Howard-Taylor is entitled to legal counsel, is presumed innocent, and will receive full due process.
