State Witness Alleges Howard-Taylor Discussed Plot to Assassinate Weah in Drug Case Hearing
Jewel Howard-Taylor at a 2018 women-leaders conference in Jerusalem (file photo, unrelated to this case). Photo: Mark Neyman/GPO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A state witness testified in a Monrovia court that former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor discussed assassinating ex-President George Weah as part of an alleged drug-trafficking conspiracy. Her camp calls the claims fabricated.
A prosecution witness testified that former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor discussed a plan to assassinate ex-President George Weah as part of an alleged international drug-trafficking conspiracy, according to testimony given at a preliminary hearing before the Monrovia City Court on September 4, 2026.
Assistant Commissioner of Crime Services Rafell Wilson of the Liberia National Police told the court he had reviewed an audio recording allegedly capturing a conversation between Howard-Taylor and a man identified as Sheikh Bassirou Kante, in which Howard-Taylor reportedly said the group would "run the country for only three years" before moving against Weah. Wilson also testified that the recording touched on plans to let the network use Liberia as a transit route for narcotics with government protection, and referenced three payments to Howard-Taylor totaling US$135,000, including US$45,000 sent from Dubai and US$75,000 described as a donation to her foundation.
Howard-Taylor, arrested and indicted last month, faces charges including drug-trafficking conspiracy, money laundering and criminal conspiracy. She has not been convicted of any crime. Her defense has said prosecutors are building a case out of official meetings she held while in office, and days after her arrest warned that officials could try to manufacture audio or video evidence using artificial intelligence — a claim made before this witness testimony was heard. Her legal team objected to the recording being played in open court.
The hearing is a preliminary examination, meaning a judge has not yet ruled on whether there is enough evidence to send the case to full trial. Former President Weah, the alleged target of the plot, has separately accused the Boakai administration of "tampering with justice" in its handling of the case against his one-time running mate.