MONROVIA – The legal team of Former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor has shifted its strategy from preliminary examination to trial amid a dispute over evidence access. The statement places due process, presumption of innocence and accurate reporting at the center of an already sensitive prosecution. It argues that the government has filed a criminal complaint but that a grand jury has not indicted Howard-Taylor. That distinction matters because an indictment, accusation and conviction carry different legal meanings and consequences. The defense also challenges official and media language it considers prejudicial while asking that the evidence be tested in court. Public confidence will depend on whether both sides protect constitutional rights while allowing the judicial process to determine the facts. THE ANALYST reports.
MONROVIA, Liberia — The family and legal support team of former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor stated on September 7 that it had chosen to proceed directly to trial after the court denied the defense access to evidence during a preliminary examination. The team maintained that the trial stage would guarantee pretrial discovery and provide fuller protection for Howard-Taylor’s constitutional rights.
The defense noted that Liberia’s justice system guarantees a fair and speedy trial. It contended that Howard-Taylor had never been served a proper indictment detailing the specific facts and allegations against her, prompting its request for a preliminary examination of the evidence used to justify what it described as her unprecedented arrest and incarceration.
DEFENSE DISPUTES EVIDENCE ACCESS
According to the statement, the prosecution objected to that disclosure and the court sustained the objection. The team argued that the ruling denied access to evidence that might favor Howard-Taylor’s innocence and prevented the defense from meaningfully questioning prosecution witnesses.
The defense explained that it decided against allowing the preliminary stage to become a platform for what it called unproven theories without the safeguard of full discovery. It therefore opted to proceed to trial, where it maintained that pretrial discovery was guaranteed.
The team further asserted that Howard-Taylor had not been indicted by a grand jury as of the statement’s issuance. It noted that the government had announced allegations and filed a criminal complaint, but argued that a complaint was not an indictment and that any indictment returned would not amount to a conviction.
“No press conference or political statement can substitute for the judicial process the law requires,” the team declared. It added: “Madam Howard-Taylor is innocent of all these charges.”
TEAM WARNS AGAINST PREJUDGMENT
The statement described as troubling official comments and media reports that, in the team’s view, created the impression that Howard-Taylor had already been indicted or found guilty. It argued that presenting allegations as established facts was prejudicial and threatened the integrity of Liberia’s justice system.
The team called on the government to distinguish clearly among allegations, an indictment and a conviction.
It also urged public officials to avoid prejudicial pronouncements while the matter remained before the courts and asked the media to verify the case’s procedural status instead of reporting allegations as proven facts.
Civil society organizations, religious leaders and human-rights advocates were asked to demand due process and humane treatment. The statement also appealed to Liberians to remain peaceful and committed to justice.
The family and legal support team maintained that Howard-Taylor sought no special treatment, but only the constitutional protections owed to every Liberian, including the presumption of innocence, humane treatment and a fair, impartial process.
“If the Government has evidence, let it be tested lawfully in court. Until then, accusation must not be presented as conviction,” the statement noted.
The team expressed confidence that a fair hearing based on the full record would vindicate Howard-Taylor. It issued the statement through the Office of former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor.