Madaxweyne-hore ee Liberia Jewel Howard-Taylor la xiray xisaabinta ganacsiga macdanta
Liberia ayaa ku xiray madaxweyne-hore Jewel Howard-Taylor inay ka mid tahay xirfadlayaasha ganacsiga macdanta, lacag-dhaafinta iyo dambiyo kale, kadib markii la xiray 317 milyan oo doolar oo macdan ah.
Xiritaanka iyo xisaabinta
Jewel Howard-Taylor, oo 63 jir ah, ayaa lagu xiray xarunta diyaaradaha Roberts International Airport ee magaalada Monrovia, iyadoo aan u gudbin karin diyaarad. Wasaaradda sharciga Liberia ayaa xaqiijisay in la xiray, iyadoo la sheegay inay ku xiran tahay xisaabinta macdanta.
Howard-Taylor ayaa hadda wajahaysa dambiyada kala duwan, oo ay ku jiraan soo gelinta macdanta aan la aqoon, iibka, iyo sidii loo gudbin lahaa, iyadoo aan wali hadal sharaf ah ka bixin xisaabta. Warbaahinta ayaa la xiriirtay qofkeeda si ay uga hadasho arrintan.
Xisaabinta macdanta iyo xirfadlayaasha kale
Sarkaal sare oo ka tirsan ciidamada Liberia, Gregory Coleman, ayaa sheegay in Howard-Taylor ay ku xiran tahay xisaabinta macdanta $317 milyan oo doolar ah, oo la xiray bishii hore. Tani waxay ahayd xisaabinta ugu weyn ee macdanta ee dalkaas ka dhacday.
Dowladda Liberia ayaa sidoo kale ku xiray saddex qof oo dibadda ka yimid, laba oo ka tirsan Croatia iyo mid ka tirsan Ukraine, iyadoo wasiirka sharciga Oswald Tweh uu sheegay in la isticmaali doono tallaabooyin gudaha iyo dibadda si loo xiro.
Xisaabinta iyo xirfadlayaasha sare
Xisaabta macdanta ayaa sii wadda inay gaarto xirfadlayaasha sare ee amniga dalka, iyadoo dowladdu ay sheegtay inay dooneyso inay ogaato qof kasta oo ka mid ah xirfadlayaasha macdanta, gaar ahaan kuwa lacagta iyo amniga u sameeya.
Dowladda Liberia ayaa sheegtay inaan lahayn xafiis ama xiriir siyaasadeed oo uga dhigan karo dambi, iyadoo xisaabtu ay ku xiran tahay inaan lahayn xirfad ama xiriir siyaasadeed oo uga dhigan karo dambi.
Liberia has formally charged former Vice-President Jewel Howard-Taylor with drug trafficking, money laundering and related offences, linking her to a multimillion-dollar cocaine seizure as part of a wider investigation into a transnational narcotics network.
Detention and Charges
Howard-Taylor, 63, was detained on Wednesday at Roberts International Airport in Monrovia before she could board a flight, the justice ministry confirmed. She faces charges including the unlicensed importation, sale and transportation of controlled drugs, illicit trafficking, criminal solicitation and criminal facilitation.
She has not yet made any public comment on the allegations. The BBC has contacted her lawyer for a response. Police chief Gregory Coleman has linked her to the seizure last month of cocaine valued at $317m (£233m). The 63-year-old politician has yet to make any public comment about the charges.
Political Background and Wider Investigation
Howard-Taylor entered politics after her now ex-husband, former President Charles Taylor, left power. Taylor was elected in 1997 and remained in office until 2003 before being convicted by a UN-backed court of aiding rebels in Sierra Leone during the 1991-2002 civil war, in which some 50,000 people died.
Later, George Weah picked Howard-Taylor as his running mate and she served as his deputy during his presidency from 2018 until 2024. The investigation has since extended to senior figures within Liberia's security establishment, with authorities saying they aim to identify not only those directly involved in transporting drugs but also financiers, organisers and people accused of helping to protect the operation.
Major Seizures and International Crackdown
Liberia has stepped up a crackdown on cocaine trafficking, following two major seizures in June and July. Almost four tonnes of cocaine believed to be bound for Europe were found during the raid in July, which authorities described as Liberia's biggest drug bust and said had uncovered a sophisticated transnational trafficking network.
Police have charged three foreign nationals - two Croatians and one Ukrainian - in absentia as part of their investigation. Justice Minister Oswald Tweh said the authorities would use domestic and international measures to locate and arrest them, adding that no office is too high, no political connection is too powerful, no nationality provides immunity, and no individual is beyond the reach of the law.
