NATIONAL NEWS
MONROVIA – Liberia’s Inspector General of Police, Gregory Coleman, says doctors at GIMS Hospital in Sinkor have requested additional time to observe former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor before determining whether she is fit to be discharged.
By: Trokon S. Wrepue – trokon1992seokin@gmail.com
Howard-Taylor remains under medical care and police custody following her transfer to the hospital after experiencing an asthma attack and elevated blood pressure while in detention.
Speaking to journalists outside GIMS Hospital, Inspector General Coleman said the former vice president was responding to treatment and was able to communicate with visitors.
“The doctor has asked for an extension for them to see her a little more, but she is fine, she is speaking, she is receiving visitors at the moment in time,” Coleman said.
Howard-Taylor was arrested and charged on Wednesday in connection with a government investigation into an alleged transnational narcotics network.
She was detained at Liberia National Police headquarters before being taken to GIMS Hospital on Thursday after developing medical complications.
Her legal team has indicated that she will remain under medical observation until doctors determine that she is fit for discharge.
Coleman addresses INCHR Concerns
Inspector General Coleman also responded to a claim by the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) that its team was prevented from visiting Howard-Taylor at the hospital.
The INCHR had sought access to the former vice president but was stopped by police officers assigned to the medical facility.
Coleman expressed regret over the incident but defended the restrictions, emphasizing that GIMS Hospital is a medical facility rather than a police station.
“I feel bad that the human rights commission head felt disrespected,” Coleman said.
He also acknowledged Howard-Taylor’s legal rights despite the charges against her.
“In as much as Madame Taylor may be an accused person, she still has an innocence of guilt until proven guilty,” he said.
Coleman explained that access to the hospital could not be treated in the same manner as access to a police facility.
“Again, this is a medical facility and it is not a police station that you can just come in and go out,” he added.
The comments come amid heightened public interest in Howard-Taylor’s detention, particularly following the decision by authorities to charge the former vice president with multiple offenses linked to the ongoing drug investigation.
Howard-Taylor faces multiple charges
According to the Liberian authorities, Howard-Taylor has been charged with offenses including unlicensed importation, sale, distribution and transportation of controlled substances, drug trafficking, criminal solicitation, criminal facilitation, criminal conspiracy and money laundering.
The government says the former vice president was stopped while attempting to leave Liberia through Roberts International Airport before being taken into police custody.
Three foreign nationals — Croatians Nikolai Ivancic and Mihovil Vrovac and Ukrainian Tara Zaderieko — have also been charged in absentia over their alleged roles in the suspected narcotics network.
Authorities say they intend to pursue measures to locate and apprehend the three individuals.
The charges against Howard-Taylor come weeks after Liberia announced what authorities described as the country’s largest-ever drug seizure — several tonnes of cocaine reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
That earlier investigation has also drawn scrutiny to members of Liberia’s security establishment, with some senior police officials reportedly facing dismissal, suspension or investigation over alleged links to the drug trafficking operation.
Authorities have maintained that the two cases are not connected.
Legal and medical questions remain
For now, Howard-Taylor remains under both medical supervision and police custody, with her legal status unchanged despite her hospitalization.
The immediate decision rests with doctors, who are expected to determine when she is medically fit for discharge.
The development also places renewed attention on the balance between law enforcement, the rights of an accused person and access to detainees receiving medical treatment.
While Coleman said Howard-Taylor was doing well and receiving visitors, he did not indicate when she would be discharged or when she would resume proceedings related to the charges against her.
The former vice president served as Liberia’s vice president from 2018 to 2024.
She remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
