Over a decade after her husband Charles Taylor resigned from serving as Liberia’s president for his questionable acts of war, former Vice President of the West African country Jewel Howard-Taylor has been indicted in a drug case.
- Former Liberian Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor has been indicted for drug trafficking, money laundering, and other criminal offenses.
- She was arrested at Roberts International Airport shortly after a major drug bust in Liberia.
- The country’s attorney general emphasized that the investigation will be thorough, with no political protection for offenders.
- Howard-Taylor previously served as vice president from 2018 to 2024 and was married to former president and convicted war criminal Charles Taylor.
A recent report shows that just a few weeks after a major drug bust in Liberia, former Vice President of the country, Jewel Howard-Taylor, has been charged in court for drug trafficking, money laundering , and other offenses.
She was arrested at Roberts International Airport and taken to national police headquarters after she was caught trying to exit the country.
This information was disclosed by the country’s attorney general, who released a statement highlighting the connection between an ongoing narcotics investigation and the former vice president.
“There will be no selective justice, political protection, sacred cows or compromise with organized criminality,” the statement said. “Every person against whom credible and admissible evidence is established will be investigated and prosecuted without fear, favor or political consideration.”
Other charges brought up against the ex-leader include unlicensed importation of a controlled substance, criminal solicitation and criminal conspiracy, as seen on Reuters.
Speaking to the aforementioned publication, Howard-Taylor’s lawyer, Kabineh M. Ja’neh, noted that he had visited his client on Wednesday and was notified by officials that she would be charged, but he had not yet read the indictment.
“She is in the custody of the Liberia National Police tonight. She will sleep there,” he said.
“We would be able to proceed with the matter once we get the formal charge,” he added.
Jewel Howard-Taylor
Born in 1963, Jewel Howard-Taylor chaired the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency while representing Bong County in the Liberian Senate from 2006 until 2018.
She was elected vise president in 2017, alongside former professional footballer George Weah, who won the presidential seat.
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They held the position from 2018 till 2024.
Jewel Howard-Taylor is said to have become well-known throughout the country after marrying former President Charles Taylor.
Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor, husband of Jewel Howard-Taylor, is a former Liberian president who served as Liberia’s President from 1997 until 2003, and is now globally considered a warlord.
Taylor was elected president in 1997 after leading a revolt against President Samuel Doe during the First Liberian Civil War.
Taylor sought to consolidate autocratic authority domestically through the suppression of political opposition and extensive purges within the armed forces.
His administration was strongly influenced by Liberia’s involvement in the violence in neighboring Sierra Leone.
Taylor was suspected of assisting the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), including providing arms in exchange for diamonds.
The Special Court for Sierra Leone convicted him in 2012 of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated during the country’s civil conflict.
He was sentenced to 50 years in prison and is serving his sentence in the United Kingdom.
