Supreme Court Lifts Stay on MDR Probe of Sen. Kogar

By S. Matthew M. Quoi, Jr.

MONROVIA, Liberia — Supreme Court Justice-in-Chambers Yussif D. Kaba has lifted a stay order that halted an internal investigation by the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) into a 17-count complaint against Senator Samuel G. Kogar.

The decision clears the way for an Ad Hoc Inquiry Committee established by the MDR National Executive Committee to proceed with its investigation of allegations filed against Kogar by Kelvin D. J. Mattaldi, the party’s Vice Chair for Press and Publicity.

In early August 2026, members of the MDR National Executive Committee unanimously voted to establish the committee to investigate the allegations against the senator and determine the facts surrounding the complaint.

The committee subsequently communicated with Senator Kogar and his legal team, citing them to appear before the panel as part of the inquiry.

Kogar’s lawyers, however, challenged the process before the Supreme Court, seeking a writ of prohibition to prevent the committee from proceeding.

The legal challenge temporarily halted the party’s inquiry pending intervention by the Supreme Court.

Justice Kaba has now lifted the stay, effectively removing the immediate legal barrier that prevented the MDR committee from continuing its investigation.

The decision allows the committee to resume its inquiry into the 17-count complaint and hear from the parties involved in accordance with the party’s procedures and applicable law.

The Supreme Court’s action, however, does not constitute a determination of Senator Kogar’s guilt or innocence regarding the allegations contained in the complaint.

Rather, the lifting of the stay allows the MDR’s internal investigative process to continue, leaving the substantive allegations to be examined by the committee.

Kogar’s legal team had questioned the committee’s authority and legal basis to proceed with the investigation.

With the judicial restriction lifted, the committee is expected to continue examining the allegations and responses from Senator Kogar and his legal representatives before reaching its findings.

The development marks another turn in the internal dispute within the MDR involving one of the party’s senior members.