In ANC’s Show of Support to Former VP Taylor . . .
Cummings Calls for Speedy and Non-Selective Justice
In a significant display of solidarity and commitment to the rule of law, the Political Leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Alexander Benedict Cummings, on Sunday, August 30, 2026, led a high-level delegation of the ANC to the Monrovia Central Prison to visit former Vice President of Liberia, Chief Jewel Howard Taylor, and call for a speedy and non-selective Justice in the ongoing cocaine case.
Former Vice President Taylor has been incarcerated for several days at the Monrovia Central Prison, commonly known as South Beach. She was placed in pre-trial detention on Tuesday following her initial appearance before the Monrovia City Court on eight counts, including unlicensed importation, sale and trafficking of drugs, in connection with an ongoing investigation into an alleged transnational narcotics trafficking network linked to the seizure of four tonnes of cocaine valued at $319 million — the largest narcotics bust in Liberia’s history.
Accompanied by a delegation of ANC officials, including the party’s National Chairman Cllr. Lafayette O. Gould, former Montserrado County Senatorial Candidate, Madam Victoria Koiquah, other senior executives of the National Executive Committee, and partisans of the ANC, Cummings met privately with the former Vice President to offer moral support and assess her welfare. Following his exit from the prison compound, Mr. Cummings expressed deep concerns over her detention and the manner in which the case is being handled, describing it as appearing “more political than legal.”
In the interview with journalists, Mr. Cummings further stated: “I came this afternoon to visit the former Vice President, Jewel Howard-Taylor. The former Vice President is a friend; I call her my ‘small sister.’ I came to empathize with her and check on her circumstantial situation. My message to the government is as follows: One is, of course, the legal piece of it: the innocent are presumed innocent until proven guilty. There is a presumption of innocence, and the evidence should be followed wherever it leads. But justice needs to be speedy. You know they say, ‘Justice delayed is justice denied.’ It needs to be speedy, and justice should not be selective.”
Mr. Cummings further added: “It appears that justice is being selectively prescribed. This narcotic drug issue is a serious problem for our country. Our country appears to be becoming a narco-state, and it is happening now under this government’s watch.
The ANC Political Leader called on the Ministry of Justice, the Liberia National Police, and the Judiciary to expedite the case and ensure a fair, transparent, and credible process, including respect for Mrs. Taylor’s constitutional rights, access to legal counsel, family, and adequate medical care.
Mr. Cummings statements reaffirm the ANC’s supports for a full, impartial, non-selective investigation and prosecution into the cocaine trafficking network, and that former VP Taylor should be afforded a speedy trial.
Meanwhile, political analysts have described Cummings’ solidarity visit as a potential catalyst for greater unity within the opposition, demonstrating that the defense of due process transcends party lines.
