Cummings Doubts Case Against Taylor

By Lincoln G. Peters

MONROVIA CENTRAL PRISON, South Beach, August 30, 2026 — Opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC) political leader Alexander B. Cummings has expressed doubts about the drug-related charges against detained former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, while demanding a speedy trial and warning the government against what he described as selective justice in Liberia’s ongoing drug investigations.

Cummings spoke to journalists Sunday evening following what he described as an empathy visit to Howard-Taylor at the Monrovia Central Prison, where the former Vice President is being detained in connection with an ongoing drug trafficking case.

He said his relationship with Howard-Taylor has remained cordial and respectful over the years and that his visit was intended to check on her condition and offer moral support.

“I came this afternoon to visit the former Vice President, Jewel Howard-Taylor. She is a friend and I call her my small sister. I came to empathize with her and to check on her circumstances as it is,” Cummings said.

According to him, Howard-Taylor believes she is being politically targeted and maintains that the government lacks evidence to substantiate the charges against her.

“The former Vice President and I talked. She feels aggrieved and witch-hunted because the government has no evidence against her,” Cummings said.

While acknowledging that he could not personally guarantee anyone’s conduct, the ANC leader said the Howard-Taylor he knows does not fit the allegations being made against her.

“You never put your head on the chopping board for anybody, but again, it is never my impression that the woman I know will get involved in what is alleged,” he said.

“So, I talked with the VP to be strong, but again, I don’t believe she did such,” Cummings added.

Howard-Taylor, who served as Liberia’s Vice President from 2018 to 2024, has been charged in connection with an ongoing investigation into drug trafficking and related financial transactions.

Cummings, however, said the government must ensure that the former Vice President receives a speedy and fair trial and that the evidence against her is tested before a court of law.

He also raised concerns about what he described as selective application of justice, arguing that authorities must investigate and prosecute anyone implicated by credible evidence, regardless of political affiliation or position.

“My message to the government is the evidence should be followed wherever it leads, but justice needs to be served and even,” Cummings said.

“Justice delayed is justice denied. Justice should not be selective. It appears that justice is being selectively prescribed,” he added.

The ANC leader called for an independent investigation into Liberia’s growing drug trafficking problem and urged authorities to investigate allegations involving current government officials with the same intensity applied to other suspects.

Cummings referenced previous public statements by Police Inspector General Gregory O.W. Coleman concerning alleged involvement of people connected to government, arguing that such claims should be independently investigated.

He said failure to pursue credible allegations against current officials while prosecuting others would raise questions about the fairness and credibility of the government’s anti-drug campaign.

“This narcotic drug issue is a serious problem for our country. We want an independent investigation into this drug issue,” Cummings said.

“It appears to be rigged and one-sided. Let’s apply justice evenly to everybody and speedily,” he added.

Cummings also expressed concern about the scale of recent drug trafficking cases in Liberia, warning that the country risks serious reputational and institutional consequences if authorities fail to confront the problem impartially.

He said the opposition would continue to hold the Boakai administration accountable for its handling of the drug investigations and insist that anyone implicated by evidence face the law.

His comments come amid heightened political and public scrutiny of Howard-Taylor’s arrest, indictment and detention, as well as broader questions surrounding the government’s handling of major drug seizures.

Cummings maintained that the government must allow the judicial process to determine Howard-Taylor’s guilt or innocence while ensuring that the same standard of accountability applies to everyone linked to Liberia’s drug trafficking investigations