GBARNGA, Bong County — In the streets, communities and political circles of Bong County, the detention Wednesday of former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor has opened a new chapter in a political story that stretches from the civil war years to the highest office in Liberia.
By Selma Lomax, [email protected] & Webster Clayeh
For a county that once gave Howard-Taylor two consecutive mandates to represent it in the Liberian Senate, later rallied behind the political ticket that carried her to the vice presidency and watched her influence produce other elected officials, her current predicament has been met with emotions ranging from disbelief and sadness to defiance, caution and demands for evidence.
Howard-Taylor, a native of Sanoyea District, is facing serious criminal allegations following her detention at Roberts International Airport on Wednesday as she attempted to travel outside Liberia.
Her arrest has placed one of Bong County’s most recognizable political daughters at the center of an investigation the government says is aimed at dismantling an alleged transnational narcotics trafficking network.
But the reaction from Bong County shows that the case is unlikely to be viewed simply as another criminal proceeding. For many residents, Howard-Taylor’s political history has created a deep emotional connection between the former Vice President and the county she represented for 18 years.
Her supporters argue that the allegations must be proven in court. Others are questioning the circumstances surrounding her detention and demanding that the government explain the evidence linking her to the alleged drug network.
Still others say the investigation should be allowed to proceed without political interference, while insisting that Howard-Taylor, like every other accused person, deserves due process.
Howard-Taylor’s political roots are firmly planted in Sanoyea District, where her journey into national politics began to take shape. In 2005, she won election as senator of Bong County by an overwhelming margin, establishing herself as one of the county’s most powerful political figures.
Her victory was not a short-lived political moment. In 2014, she successfully returned to the Senate, winning another nine-year term and reinforcing her position as a dominant force in Bong County politics.
Her two victories meant that for 18 years she was not merely a national political figure with connections to Bong County. She was one of the principal political representatives of the county in Monrovia.
That history has become central to the current reaction. Residents who once saw Howard-Taylor travel between Gbarnga, Sanoyea and Monrovia as a senator and later as Vice President are now watching as she faces detention and criminal charges. Now, she is an accused person in a major narcotics investigation.
The Taylor Legacy and Bong County
Howard-Taylor’s political story cannot be completely separated from the political history of Charles Taylor. Her former husband, Charles Taylor, used Gbarnga as a major base during Liberia’s civil war before eventually becoming President of Liberia. The Taylor movement’s presence in Bong County left a lasting political imprint.
Gbarnga became closely identified with Charles Taylor’s political and military rise, and the Taylor name subsequently carried substantial political weight in the county.
When Howard-Taylor entered politics, that historical connection formed part of the political environment surrounding her. But over time, Howard-Taylor developed a political identity of her own.
Her two Senate victories demonstrated her ability to maintain an electoral constituency in Bong County, while her later selection as George Weah’s running mate in 2017 elevated her from county-level political prominence to national executive power. Her political journey therefore became intertwined with both the history of Bong County and the evolution of Liberia’s opposition politics.
2017 Changed Everything
The 2017 presidential election became one of the defining moments of Howard-Taylor’s political career. George Weah selected her as his running mate on the ticket of the Coalition for Democratic Change, a political alliance that included Howard-Taylor’s National Patriotic Party and the Liberia People Democratic Change. The partnership proved decisive.
In Bong County, the CDC secured victory in both rounds of the 2017 presidential election. For supporters of Howard-Taylor, the result was evidence that her political influence had survived beyond her Senate years.
The former senator had helped position herself at the center of a political movement that eventually captured Liberia’s presidency. Her influence was also reflected in the political careers of other lawmakers.
Edward Karfiah won election as representative of District Five in 2011, while Josiah Marvin Cole later won election as representative of Jorquelleh District Three. Those victories contributed to the perception that Howard-Taylor’s political network extended well beyond her own campaigns.
For years, her supporters viewed her as one of the county’s most effective political mobilizers. Her detention therefore has consequences that extend beyond one individual.
A Sudden Turn at the Airport
The latest chapter began at Roberts International Airport. Howard-Taylor was stopped from leaving Liberia and subsequently taken to the headquarters of the Liberia National Police. The action immediately generated questions among supporters and political observers.
The government, however, says the action was connected to an ongoing investigation into an alleged transnational narcotics network. Following investigative procedures and a review of evidence presented by the Joint National Security Investigative Team, Howard-Taylor was formally charged.
The Justice Ministry said the charges include offenses under the Controlled Drug and Substance Act of 2023, Liberia’s Penal Law and the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Law.
Seven Serious Allegations
Under the Controlled Drug and Substance Act, Howard-Taylor is accused of unlicensed importation of a controlled drug or substance, unlicensed sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution, dispatch in transit and transportation of a controlled drug or substance, and illicit trafficking of a controlled drug or substance.
Under Chapter 10 of Liberia’s Penal Law, she faces allegations involving criminal solicitation, criminal facilitation and criminal conspiracy.
She also faces a money-laundering allegation under the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Law. The government has also announced charges in absentia against three alleged members or organizers of the network: Croatian nationals Nikolai Ivancic and Mihovil Vrlovac and Ukrainian national Tara Zaderieko.
Bong County Asks for More Than Headlines
For residents like Marvelene Lepukoi, the seriousness of the allegations makes evidence even more important. Lepukoi has called on the government to demonstrate independent evidence connecting Howard-Taylor to the alleged narcotics operation. “If Sheikh Basirou is truly the government’s star witness, then the public deserves to know exactly what independent evidence corroborates his claims,” she said.
Her position is that the case should be determined through the courts rather than public accusations. “If there is credible evidence against former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, present it before the court and allow it to be properly authenticated, challenged, and tested under the law,” she said.
Lepukoi’s remarks reflect a central concern among some residents: whether the public debate surrounding the case is moving faster than the evidence that will eventually be presented in court. She insists that communication with another person, without more, does not establish participation in an alleged narcotics organization.
He said: “Bring the evidence, establish the connection, and prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt.”
Emmanuel Weah of Gbarnga said the opposition should not allow Howard-Taylor’s detention to distract from the larger questions surrounding the country’s narcotics investigation. He argued that Liberians still need answers concerning the drug case and that the government must not use prominent political figures to divert attention from unresolved questions.
“The government must not be allowed to shift public attention away from the central questions by turning political figures into scapegoats,” Weah said. His comments reveal a suspicion among some residents that the case could become politically charged because of Howard-Taylor’s history and continuing influence.
But Archie Gboe, a Bong County native residing in Monrovia, approached the issue from a democratic perspective. “What a sad day for Liberia’s democracy,” Gboe said.
He described the repeated emergence of what he considers political witch-hunts as damaging to Liberia’s democratic culture. Although he acknowledged that nobody should be above the law, Gboe questioned the manner in which the former Vice President was stopped at the airport. For him, the government could have used established investigative procedures to request her cooperation rather than allowing the detention to occur in such circumstances.
Ebenezer Gotolo offered another perspective. Rather than immediately defending or condemning Howard-Taylor, he urged Liberians to recognize that being questioned or charged does not amount to being convicted.
“If a former Vice President is invited by the police in connection with an ongoing drug investigation, the matter should be approached through the rule of law and due process—not immediately turned into a political battle,” Gotolo said.
He emphasized that the fight against drugs should not belong to either the government or opposition. “An invitation for questioning is not the same as a declaration of guilt,” he said. Gotolo urged investigators to conduct their work professionally while protecting the rights of everyone involved.
His position may represent the middle ground emerging from the county: support the investigation, but do not abandon due process. Among the strongest reactions has come from Howard-Taylor’s home district.
David Gorlormator, a native of Sanoyea District, questioned the circumstances of the former Vice President’s detention. He asked why Howard-Taylor was allegedly not formally invited before being stopped at Roberts International Airport.
He also questioned the government’s broader handling of the drug investigation and whether all individuals alleged to have connections to the case are being treated equally. For Gorlormator and others, the government must demonstrate that its investigation is not influenced by political considerations.
Dr. George Toto, a native of Totota now living in the United States, responded to the allegations from a deeply personal perspective. Toto said he feels ashamed as a son of Bong County hearing allegations of such magnitude involving a daughter of the county.
For a county that has celebrated Howard-Taylor’s political accomplishments for years, the allegations have created a difficult moment. Residents are now being forced to reconcile the image of the powerful political figure they know with the allegations being brought against her by the state.
Victor Tokpah, a Gbarnga resident and Bong County native, said the government’s announcement has raised questions that should be answered through the legal process. Tokpah said he was neither defending Howard-Taylor nor suggesting that she should be exempt from the law.
He asked what specific drug, quantity, transaction, agreement or alleged proceeds form the basis of the charges. He also questioned whether the case involving Howard-Taylor is directly connected to the approximately US$317 million cocaine investigation or whether that connection is being assumed because the developments emerged around the same period.
Howard-Taylor hospitalized
On Thursday, Former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor was rushed to GIMS Hospital in Sophie, Monrovia, after experiencing a medical emergency while in police custody.
Taylor was transported to the medical facility Thursday evening under heavy police escort after health practitioners reportedly observed a significant rise in her blood pressure.
The medical emergency occurred as authorities were preparing to transfer the former vice president to the Monrovia City Court, where she was expected to face proceedings stemming from allegations of drug trafficking and money laundering.
Medical personnel were called to the Liberia National Police Headquarters after concerns were raised about Taylor’s condition.
At the Gomez Institute of Medical Science hospital in Sophie Community, scores of individuals especially from the CDC along with her legal team visited the former Vice President.
Former Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwel Saah Kemayah went to the hospital to visit former Vice President Taylor. While Kemayah was allowed entry, three lawmakers were denied.
Frank Saah Foko, Marvin Cole, and Eugine Kollie were prevented from entering the fence of the hospital. “I don’t know the reason for which they are denying me other people went and the police have them assets. But it is ok, at the appropriate time we will have asset,” Montserrado County District 9 Representative Foko said.
He added: “We are to make sure that transparency takes place, that is all we are asking for. We are also asking the citizens of Bong County to be on their alert, to remain peaceful, democratic. The strongest person is the law. We are going to invade the laws; it is our hope that all uphold the dignity of the law.”
While at the hospital, her legal team issued a statement that it has requested additional time to gather information it says it needed to support the ongoing investigation involving the former vice president.
In the brief statement issued Thursday, August 20, Taylor’s lawyers said she remains at Police Headquarters while they seek additional time to prepare and gather information in connection with the investigation.
“Let it be known that the Former Vice President remains at the Police Headquarters as her counsels have requested additional time to gather information in support of the ongoing investigation,” the legal team said.
