-Popular Podcaster Says His Doubts Vanished After Returning to Liberia, Calls for Televised Trial While Warning Howard-Taylor Against Public Release of Alleged Recordings
MONROVIA, Liberia — Popular Liberian podcaster Henry Costa has made a dramatic intervention in the US$317 million drug trafficking and money laundering case involving former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, claiming that information he gathered after returning to Liberia has convinced him that the Government has an overwhelming body of evidence against her.
Costa, speaking during a live broadcast to thousands of listeners and viewers on Monday, September 7, said he initially had doubts about the strength of the Government’s case against Howard-Taylor because of the political sensitivity surrounding the former Vice President.
But he said those doubts disappeared after he returned to Liberia and began gathering information about the investigation.
“My doubts have completely disappeared,” Costa declared. “They have been vanquished by the preponderance of evidence I have gathered that the government has. And so I have one appeal to Mrs. Jewel Howard Taylor: I am not here to throw mud at you… Request a plea bargain.”
Costa repeatedly urged Howard-Taylor to consider negotiating a plea agreement, arguing that a full trial could expose evidence he claims would be highly damaging to her.
Costa Calls for Trial to Be Televised
At the center of Costa’s broadcast was also a call for the Howard-Taylor proceedings to be televised and carried live on radio and selected television platforms.
He conducted an informal poll during the broadcast, asking viewers whether they supported having the case made available to the public.
Costa said the overwhelming response from viewers favored a televised trial.
“Let the case go to trial. Let’s televise the case. Let them bring the case live. Let everybody watch it,” he said.
He argued that broadcasting the proceedings would allow Liberians to hear the Government’s evidence and determine for themselves whether the allegations against Howard-Taylor are supported by credible evidence.
“My view is it should be televised because the people want to know that this is a real legitimate drug case,” Costa said.
He added that Liberians should be given an opportunity to hear the evidence and assess the case through the judicial process.
Says Preliminary Examination Withdrawal Raised Questions
Costa devoted considerable attention to the defense decision on September 7 to withdraw its request for a preliminary examination.
The defense had initially sought a preliminary examination of the evidence, but subsequently withdrew the request, allowing the matter to proceed to the next stage in Criminal Court “C.”
Costa interpreted the decision as significant, particularly because he said he observed large speakers being brought into the courtroom in anticipation of evidence being presented.
“Today in court, they were supposed to do the preliminary examination of evidence. They brought big speakers in the courtroom,” he said.
He questioned why the defense ultimately chose to withdraw its request.
“Why do you think Mrs. Howard-Taylor said no examination of the evidence? Why did they withdraw their request to examine the evidence before moving to trial?” Costa asked his audience.
However, the defense has offered a different explanation.
In a statement issued Monday, Howard-Taylor’s legal team said it withdrew the preliminary examination because it believed proceeding directly toward trial would provide stronger discovery protections and better safeguard her constitutional rights.
The lawyers also stressed that, as of September 7, Howard-Taylor had not been indicted by a grand jury and remained presumed innocent.
Costa Makes Claims About Alleged Recordings
Costa alleged that investigators possess recordings in which Howard-Taylor allegedly discussed contacts with individuals he characterized as members of a drug cartel.
He claimed that some of the alleged recordings could become central to the prosecution’s case if they are admitted at trial.
Among his most serious assertions, Costa alleged that Howard-Taylor discussed re-establishing contact with individuals connected to the alleged cartel and claimed she referred to political financing and a possible future meeting in Dubai.
He also alleged that the recordings contain statements concerning political strategy and funding for the 2029 elections.
Costa presented these claims as information he had gathered about the investigation. The allegations have not been established as facts by a court, and the transcript itself does not provide independent documentation or authentication of the alleged recordings.
Howard-Taylor has denied the Government’s accusations and characterized the case as politically motivated.
Warns of Damage Beyond Any Possible Sentence
Costa said his recommendation for a plea agreement was not intended simply to help Howard-Taylor avoid imprisonment, but to prevent what he described as potentially devastating reputational consequences if alleged recordings were publicly played.
“If you let this case go to trial, and all those recordings and all those things you said… are played on loud speakers… the damage could be far-reaching,” he warned.
Costa acknowledged that he has sympathy for Howard-Taylor despite his position on the strength of the Government’s case.
“I still feel some sympathy for her. I do. I honestly, genuinely do,” he said toward the end of the broadcast.
He noted that Howard-Taylor has endured significant personal and political battles, but maintained that she should consider the potential consequences of a public trial.
Broader Warning About Liberia and Drug Trafficking
Beyond the Howard-Taylor case, Costa used the broadcast to issue a broader warning about the alleged penetration of Liberia by international drug trafficking networks.
He said the issue should not be viewed primarily through political or partisan lenses.
“Your one true party with which you were born is the Republic of Liberia,” Costa told his audience.
He warned that if international drug networks gain enough influence to corrupt political institutions, the consequences could extend beyond individual criminal cases and threaten Liberia’s democratic institutions.
“We do not want our country to become a narco state,” he said.
Costa pointed to Guinea-Bissau as a regional warning, arguing that drug trafficking can become intertwined with political power, corruption and instability.
He also claimed that several individuals connected to the wider investigation had confessed or entered plea arrangements with the Government. Those claims, like his other assertions about specific individuals, were made by Costa during the broadcast and would require independent verification before being treated as established facts.
Praises Government’s Anti-Drug Effort
Costa strongly endorsed the Government’s ongoing drug-enforcement campaign and praised Liberia’s law-enforcement and security institutions for what he described as efforts to dismantle a sophisticated trafficking network.
He specifically commended investigators and members of the joint security apparatus involved in the investigation.
“The government did their work,” Costa said repeatedly.
He also praised President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, saying he believes the President supports investigators in following evidence wherever it leads.
Costa additionally welcomed the recent changes at the Ministry of Justice, describing newly nominated Justice Minister Betty M. Lamin-Blamo as an experienced prosecutor with substantial courtroom experience.
Legal Battle Now Moves Forward
Costa’s comments come as Howard-Taylor’s case moves toward the next stage following the defense’s withdrawal of its preliminary-examination request.
The former Vice President remains under strict home detention following a September 4 ruling by Criminal Court “C” granting her compassionate medical release from Monrovia Central Prison.
The Government alleges that Howard-Taylor was connected to a wider transnational narcotics operation involving approximately 4.2 metric tons of cocaine valued at about US$317 million.
She faces serious criminal allegations, including offenses related to controlled substances, conspiracy, facilitation, solicitation and money laundering.
Howard-Taylor has denied the allegations and remains legally presumed innocent unless and until the prosecution proves its case in court.
The defense has also urged the Government, public officials and the media to distinguish between allegations, indictment and conviction, while calling for a fair and impartial judicial process.
For Costa, however, the issue has moved beyond political debate.
He ended his broadcast by renewing his call for transparency and a public trial while simultaneously urging Howard-Taylor to consider a plea agreement.
“I want a trial televised,” Costa said. “But do you know what I want? I want a woman to do a plea bargain.”
The competing positions now set up one of the most closely watched criminal proceedings in Liberia, with the prosecution expected to defend the allegations in court and Howard-Taylor’s lawyers preparing to challenge the case while insisting on her constitutional rights and presumption of innocence.
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