–Former Vice President Says She Was Willing to Cooperate, Demands Government Produce Evidence and Accuses State Actors of Plotting AI-Fabricated Evidence
MONROVIA, Liberia — August 23, 2026: Former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor has launched her strongest public defense since being charged in Liberia’s expanding transnational narcotics investigation, categorically denying allegations of drug trafficking, money laundering and related offenses while accusing the government of using state power to pursue a politically motivated case against her.
In a statement issued Saturday through her office, Howard-Taylor rejected all charges brought against her by the Government of Liberia, describing the allegations as “baseless, unfounded, and without merit” and insisting that she will fight the case through the courts.
The statement marks the first comprehensive response from the former Vice President’s office since Attorney General and Minister of Justice Cllr. Oswald Tweh announced on August 19 that she had been formally charged following an investigation by the Joint National Security Investigative Team.
Howard-Taylor Denies Any Role in Drug Network
Howard-Taylor’s office directly rejected any suggestion that her official contacts or engagements during her tenure as Vice President amounted to evidence of criminal involvement.
The statement said her interactions with individuals now allegedly connected to transnational criminal activity occurred in the course of her official responsibilities and should not be interpreted as evidence that she participated in their alleged crimes.
“Contacts and engagements carried out in the course of executing her official duties are not evidence of participation in anyone’s alleged crimes,” the statement said.
The former Vice President further denied participating in, facilitating, financing or concealing any drug-trafficking operation or criminal network.
She also rejected what her office characterized as “guilt by association.”
The government’s formal statement says Howard-Taylor faces seven charges under three legal frameworks: the Controlled Drug and Substance Act of 2023, Chapter 10 of the Penal Law and the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Law. The allegations include unlicensed importation and trafficking of controlled substances, criminal solicitation, facilitation, conspiracy and money laundering.
Disputes How She Was Taken to Police
The former Vice President’s office also challenged the government’s handling of her detention.
According to the statement, Howard-Taylor was traveling to Roberts International Airport on August 19 to travel to Accra, Ghana, where she was scheduled to deliver a keynote address.
Her office says she had not previously been informed that she was under investigation or summoned for questioning.
It further claims that she indicated at the airport that she was willing to voluntarily report to Liberia National Police headquarters with her lawyers.
However, the statement alleges that while she was traveling to meet her legal team, her vehicle was intercepted on the Congo Town Back Road and she was escorted to police headquarters, where she was subsequently charged in the presence of her lawyers.
The account adds a new dimension to the circumstances surrounding the former Vice President’s detention, although the government’s formal August 19 statement says she was stopped at Roberts International Airport and subsequently taken to LNP headquarters following investigative procedures and a review of evidence presented by the Joint National Security Investigative Team.
Former VP Raises AI Evidence Alarm
Perhaps the most explosive allegation in the statement concerns artificial intelligence.
Howard-Taylor’s office claims it has received information about alleged plans by “elements within the government” to create or manipulate audio and visual recordings using artificial intelligence in an attempt to manufacture evidence against her.
The statement described the allegation as “extremely serious and alarming” and warned that any audio or visual material presented as evidence would be subjected to independent forensic scrutiny.
The allegation has not been independently established, and the statement did not identify the government officials allegedly involved or provide evidence supporting the claim.
The accusation nonetheless introduces a potentially significant evidentiary issue into an already politically charged investigation, particularly as authorities continue gathering evidence and the case moves toward judicial proceedings.
‘Political Witch-Hunt,’ Howard-Taylor Says
Howard-Taylor’s office went further, questioning whether the investigation represents an impartial law-enforcement operation or an attempt to politically damage a former senior government official.
The statement described the case as a “politically motivated witch-hunt” and an “abuse of state power.”
It specifically questioned the timing and manner of her detention and the government’s reliance on alleged connections between the former Vice President and individuals under investigation.
“Her Excellency will not be intimidated, bullied into accepting guilt by association, or used to let legitimate law-enforcement concerns be turned into a political weapon,” the statement said.
The former Vice President’s office called on the government to present its evidence publicly and allow the courts to determine the facts.
Government Says Investigation Goes Beyond Liberia
The government’s case against Howard-Taylor comes as Liberia’s security agencies pursue what authorities describe as an alleged transnational narcotics trafficking network.
According to the Ministry of Justice, three foreign nationals—Nikolai Ivancic and Mihovil Vrlovac, both Croatian nationals, and Tara Zaderieko, a Ukrainian national—have also been charged in absentia in connection with the alleged network. The government says it intends to use domestic and international mechanisms to locate and apprehend them.
Former Deputy Director of the National Security Agency for Administration Gerald Smith has also been called for questioning in connection with the same investigation, according to the Justice Ministry.
The government has framed the investigation as an effort to dismantle an entire criminal infrastructure, including alleged leaders, financiers, facilitators, transporters, operational coordinators and institutional protectors.
Justice Minister Tweh has emphasized that the charges are accusations and that defendants remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Case Follows Major Cocaine Seizures
The Howard-Taylor case has emerged against the backdrop of Liberia’s largest recent narcotics investigations.
Authorities have seized major cocaine consignments in 2026, including a shipment valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, while separately investigating a US$19.2 million cocaine seizure.
International news organizations have reported that the government’s investigation into Howard-Taylor is part of a broader effort to uncover an alleged transnational narcotics network operating through Liberia.
The government has pledged that political status, nationality or institutional connections will not shield anyone found culpable.
That position has placed the case at the center of Liberia’s political and legal discourse, particularly because Howard-Taylor served as Vice President from 2018 to 2024 and remains a prominent political figure.
‘Let the Courts Do Their Work’
Rather than seeking political intervention, Howard-Taylor’s office says the former Vice President intends to contest the allegations through the legal system.
The statement called on Liberians to remain calm while insisting that calm should not be interpreted as surrendering the right to demand justice.
“Let the Government present its evidence. Let the courts do their work. Let the truth be tested in the open,” the statement said.
It also portrayed Howard-Taylor as prepared to face the allegations directly.
“She will stand. She will fight. And she will defend the truth,” the statement concluded.
The government’s allegations against Howard-Taylor remain unproven, while the former Vice President’s sweeping denials and accusations against state actors are themselves yet to be independently established.
The next major test will therefore come through the legal process, where prosecutors will be required to substantiate their allegations and Howard-Taylor will have the opportunity to challenge the evidence against her.
For now, the case has evolved from a high-profile detention at the airport into a much broader confrontation over evidence, due process, political power and the credibility of Liberia’s expanding narcotics investigation.
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