–Defense Withdraws Preliminary Examination Request, Says Proceeding Directly Toward Trial Will Better Protect Howard-Taylor’s Rights
MONROVIA, Liberia — The Monrovia City Court has cleared the way for the next phase of the US$317 million drug trafficking and money laundering case involving former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor after her legal team withdrew its request for a preliminary examination of the evidence.
The decision, made Monday, September 7, follows several days of preliminary proceedings in which prosecutors began presenting evidence and the defense challenged the State’s handling and disclosure of evidence, including an audio recording introduced through the prosecution’s first witness.
Magistrate L. Ben Barco granted the defense request to withdraw the preliminary examination and directed the court’s clerk to communicate the development to Criminal Court “C,” where the case is pending. Current reporting confirms that the withdrawal was accepted without opposition from the prosecution.
The development does not amount to a conviction, dismissal or acquittal. It also does not mean Howard-Taylor has already been indicted by a grand jury.
Defense Says Withdrawal Was Intended to Protect Due Process
In a statement issued September 7 by Howard-Taylor’s legal team and family, the defense said it initially sought a preliminary examination because it believed the former Vice President had not been served with a proper indictment setting out the specific facts and allegations against her.
The lawyers said the preliminary examination was intended to allow them to review the evidence supporting her arrest and detention and to question prosecution witnesses.
According to the statement, however, the prosecution objected to the defense’s effort to obtain broader access to evidence, and the court sustained that objection.
“Rather than allow the preliminary stage to become a platform for unproven theories without the safeguard of full discovery, we have chosen to proceed directly to trial,” the legal team said.
The defense argued that proceeding to trial would provide greater access to pretrial discovery and allow Howard-Taylor’s constitutional rights to be fully protected.
The statement therefore frames the withdrawal not as an abandonment of the former Vice President’s defense, but as a strategic decision to move the matter into a stage where the defense believes it will have stronger procedural protections.
Legal Team Draws Sharp Line Between Complaint and Indictment
One of the most significant points raised in the statement concerns the procedural status of the case.
The legal team said that, as of September 7, Howard-Taylor had not been indicted by a grand jury.
The lawyers emphasized that the Government has filed a criminal complaint and announced allegations against their client, but argued that a criminal complaint is legally distinct from a grand jury indictment.
“An indictment, if ever returned, would not be a conviction,” the legal team said, while accusing some official statements and media reports of creating the impression that Howard-Taylor had already been indicted or found guilty.
The distinction is important as the case moves forward. Reports following Monday’s hearing have described the court’s action as clearing the way for prosecutors to pursue a formal indictment, rather than indicating that such an indictment has already been returned.
Defense Maintains Howard-Taylor Is Innocent
The former Vice President’s legal team categorically denied the allegations against her and said she remains innocent.
“Madam Howard-Taylor is innocent of all these charges,” the statement said.
The lawyers called on the Government to distinguish clearly between allegations, an indictment and a conviction, while urging public officials to avoid statements that could prejudice the proceedings.
They also appealed to the media to verify the procedural status of the case and not present allegations as established facts.
The statement further called on civil society organizations, religious leaders and human-rights advocates to demand due process and humane treatment.
The legal team said Howard-Taylor was not seeking special treatment but rather “the constitutional protections owed to every Liberian,” including the presumption of innocence, humane treatment and a fair and impartial process.
Case Centers on Alleged Transnational Drug Network
Howard-Taylor, who served as Liberia’s Vice President from 2018 to 2024, was arrested at Roberts International Airport on August 19 in connection with a government investigation into an alleged transnational narcotics trafficking network.
The case is linked by the Government to approximately 4.2 metric tons of cocaine with an estimated street value of about US$317 million.
Howard-Taylor faces multiple allegations, including offenses involving controlled substances, trafficking, transportation, criminal conspiracy, facilitation, solicitation, money laundering and related offenses.
The Government’s case has included testimony from Assistant Commissioner Raphel A. Wilson of the Liberia National Police, who testified during the preliminary proceedings about the investigation and evidence allegedly gathered by authorities.
Wilson’s testimony included allegations concerning an alleged cocaine-trafficking network and claims that individuals connected to the investigation sought political access and protection.
Those allegations remain contested and have not been established as facts through a final judicial determination. Howard-Taylor has denied the accusations.
Audio Evidence Became a Point of Dispute
The preliminary proceedings also featured a dispute over an audio recording introduced by prosecutors.
Howard-Taylor’s defense objected to the recording and raised issues concerning its admissibility and the defense’s ability to examine the evidence relied upon by the prosecution.
FrontPageAfrica reported that the defense had not publicly disclosed the full reasoning behind its eventual decision to withdraw the preliminary-examination request.
The September 7 statement now provides the defense’s broader explanation: the lawyers said they concluded that continuing through the preliminary stage without the level of discovery they were seeking would not adequately protect their client’s rights.
Howard-Taylor Remains Under Strict Home Detention
The latest development comes days after Criminal Court “C” Judge Ousman F. Feika granted Howard-Taylor compassionate medical release from Monrovia Central Prison.
The September 4 ruling moved her to strict house detention at her Sinkor residence under round-the-clock security and other court-imposed conditions.
She was ordered to surrender her travel documents and remains subject to restrictions on visitors and movement. The court also made clear that the medical release did not constitute an acquittal, dismissal, pardon, immunity or termination of the criminal proceedings.
A co-defendant, Garpue K. Wonlue, has separately challenged the medical-release ruling, arguing that the judge lacked legal authority to grant the relief.
What Comes Next
With the preliminary examination withdrawn, the immediate procedural focus shifts away from that hearing and toward the next stage of the prosecution.
The defense has made clear that it intends to contest the government’s allegations while insisting that the constitutional presumption of innocence be respected.
The Government, meanwhile, maintains that it has sufficient grounds to pursue the case. Reports from Monday’s proceedings indicate that prosecutors told the court they had established probable cause, while seeking transmission of the case to the appropriate jurisdiction for the next stage.
For Howard-Taylor, the central legal issue now moves beyond whether the preliminary examination should continue and toward how the prosecution will formally proceed, what evidence will ultimately be presented, and whether the Government can prove its allegations beyond the required legal standard.
The former Vice President’s legal team concluded its September 7 statement by saying it remains confident that a fair hearing on the full record will vindicate her.
For now, however, the case remains unresolved, and the allegations against Howard-Taylor remain allegations unless and until established in court.
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