Liberia: Cummings Demands Equal Justice in Drug Case
Alternative National Congress (ANC) political leader Alexander B. Cummings has called on the Liberian government to ensure a swift, transparent and impartial prosecution of former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, warning that the ongoing narcotics investigation risks undermining public confidence if justice is perceived to be applied selectively.
Cummings made the call Sunday, August 30, following a visit to Howard-Taylor at the Monrovia Central Prison, where she is being held in connection with a sweeping investigation into an alleged transnational narcotics trafficking network.
The ANC political leader said his visit was primarily motivated by concern for Howard-Taylor’s welfare, describing the former Vice President as “my small sister” and saying he went to encourage and empathize with her over her current circumstances.
Cummings said the details of their private conversation would remain confidential but disclosed that Howard-Taylor feels aggrieved and maintains that there is no evidence linking her to the allegations against her.
While stressing that he was not prejudging the case, Cummings said the government has an obligation to ensure that the investigation follows the evidence and that anyone implicated in the alleged drug network is treated equally, regardless of political affiliation or current position.
His central message, he said, was grounded in the presumption of innocence and the principle that “justice delayed is justice denied.”
Cummings said Liberians should be concerned if the investigation appears to focus only on individuals associated with the previous administration while allegations involving officials in the current government are not pursued with the same urgency.
“It appears that justice is being selectively prescribed,” Cummings said.
He further warned that Liberia “appears to be becoming a narco state” under the current administration and called for the arrest and prosecution of any sitting government officials found to be involved in the alleged drug trade.
Cummings referenced public comments attributed to the Inspector General of Police, who has reportedly said that unnamed “big shots” within government are implicated in the alleged narcotics network.
The ANC leader questioned why the identities of those individuals have not been publicly disclosed, arguing that withholding such information could fuel perceptions that the government’s campaign against illicit drugs is politically selective.
According to Cummings, the credibility of the government’s anti-drug campaign will ultimately depend on whether authorities are willing to investigate and prosecute all individuals against whom credible evidence exists.
He said the principle should be straightforward: political affiliation should not determine who is investigated, arrested or prosecuted.
Cummings also connected the controversy to broader concerns about accountability under the Boakai administration, citing an unresolved complaint by the ANC concerning an alleged obstruction of a Freedom of Information Act request in Lofa County.
He said the party would continue raising the issue publicly as part of its broader call for transparency and accountability in government.
Asked about his relationship with Howard-Taylor, Cummings described it as cordial and said he has generally found her to be respectful.
He nevertheless stopped short of declaring her innocent, emphasizing that the evidence must ultimately determine the outcome of the case.
“I don’t put my head in the chopping block for anybody,” Cummings said, while adding that it was not his impression that the woman he knows would participate in the conduct alleged against her.
Howard-Taylor, who served as Liberia’s Vice President from 2018 to 2024 under former President George Weah, was arrested on August 19 at Roberts International Airport while attempting to leave the country.
She was subsequently taken into police custody in connection with a Joint Security investigation into an alleged transnational narcotics network.
Authorities have charged her with alleged unlicensed importation, sale, distribution and transportation of controlled substances, as well as criminal conspiracy, facilitation and solicitation.
The Ministry of Justice has also said she faces allegations involving illicit drug trafficking and money laundering.
A writ from the Monrovia City Court reportedly accuses Howard-Taylor of collaborating over several years with an alleged transnational cocaine trafficking network and alleges that she received cash payments from individuals linked to the operation.
Authorities have linked the investigation to a broader alleged illegal drug operation reportedly valued at approximately US$317 million.
Howard-Taylor has denied the allegations and rejected any connection to the alleged trafficking network.
On August 25, a Monrovia City Court magistrate granted her request for a preliminary examination but rejected a defense request that she remain hospitalized based on her reported medical condition.
Following the court’s ruling, she was transferred to the Monrovia Central Prison. Her lawyers have since challenged her detention before the Supreme Court of Liberia.
The case has generated growing political debate, with opposition figures and lawmakers raising questions about due process, selective prosecution and the government’s handling of the broader narcotics investigation.
Bong County lawmaker Marvin Cole has publicly expressed support for Howard-Taylor and characterized her detention as an example of selective justice, while Nimba County Senator Samuel Kogar has also criticized aspects of the government’s handling of the case and called for greater scrutiny of other individuals connected to the wider drug investigation.
Other opposition figures, including former House Speaker Fonati Koffa and Progressive People’s Movement political leader Simeon Freeman, have also joined calls for fairness and equal application of the law.
Cummings’ intervention adds the ANC and its political leader to a growing chorus demanding that the government’s anti-drug campaign be conducted without political favoritism.
For Cummings, the issue extends beyond the fate of one former government official.
He said Liberia’s credibility in fighting corruption, organized crime and illicit drugs will depend on whether law enforcement institutions can demonstrate that the same standard of justice applies to former officials, opposition figures and members of the current government alike.
The ANC leader said he intends to continue raising the issue publicly, including the Howard-Taylor case and the party’s unresolved FOIA complaint in Lofa County.
His demand, he said, is for a process that is swift, transparent and impartial, with investigators following the evidence wherever it leads and holding accountable anyone found to have participated in the alleged narcotics operation.
As the case moves through Liberia’s judicial system, the controversy is increasingly becoming a broader test of the Boakai administration’s pledge to fight corruption and strengthen the rule of law–and whether that pledge will be applied without regard to political affiliation.
