Monrovia, Liberia — Former Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor has reported to the Liberia National Police headquarters with her legal team after she was stopped from departing Liberia at Roberts International Airport and informed that she had been declared a person of interest in an ongoing investigation.
Taylor was at RIA early Wednesday, August 19, intending to board an ASKY Airlines flight to Accra, Ghana, where she was expected to attend a women’s leadership forum.
Her travel plans were interrupted when immigration officials reportedly informed her that they had received instructions not to permit her to leave the country.
The former vice president reportedly attempted to reach the head of the immigration service for clarification but was unable to establish contact. She subsequently contacted LNP Inspector General Gregory O.W. Coleman, who reportedly told her that an investigation was underway and that she was needed at police headquarters.
Rather than being taken into police custody, Taylor proceeded voluntarily to the LNP headquarters accompanied by her lawyers.
The Ministry of Information has confirmed that the Joint Security has designated Taylor a person of interest, but authorities have not publicly disclosed the specific circumstances that prompted the designation or identified any evidence directly linking her to criminal activity.
The development is reportedly connected to the investigation surrounding the seizure of approximately 3,971 kilograms of suspected cocaine in Duazon, Margibi County, with an estimated street value of US$317 million.
The seizure is at the center of a widening narcotics investigation that has raised questions about the alleged involvement of security personnel, the individuals behind the shipment and the handling and preservation of evidence.
Taylor’s engagement with investigators is also drawing attention because of comments she made several weeks ago regarding the government’s handling of the seized drugs.
The former vice president had urged authorities to carefully preserve forensic evidence before destroying the narcotics, warning that premature destruction could compromise future criminal prosecutions.
Those comments have taken on renewed significance following her designation as a person of interest in the investigation.
However, there is currently no public indication that Taylor has been charged with a criminal offense. Her designation as a person of interest does not, by itself, establish that she committed a crime.
The circumstances surrounding the travel restriction could nevertheless fuel further public debate over the government’s handling of the investigation, particularly concerning the legal authority used to prevent her departure and the specific information investigators are seeking from her.
Taylor’s decision to appear voluntarily with her lawyers also places her legal team at the center of the unfolding process, as investigators seek information while the former vice president receives legal representation.
The development comes amid growing controversy surrounding Liberia’s recent cocaine seizures, including approximately 237 kilograms intercepted at Roberts International Airport and the nearly 3,971 kilograms seized in Duazon.
The combined seizures have been valued at roughly US$336 million, triggering widespread demands for transparency, accountability and an independent examination of the circumstances surrounding the narcotics operations.
With Taylor now before investigators, attention is likely to shift toward the substance of the police inquiry and whether authorities can establish a direct connection between the former vice president and the alleged drug operation.
For now, Taylor remains uncharged. The outcome of her engagement with investigators could determine whether the latest development represents a search for information in a broader investigation or the beginning of a more serious legal process.
