Memo To The President

SUBJECT: Mr. President, Liberia Deserves to Know Why

Your Excellency:

Since assuming office in 2024, you have made several appointments, dismissals, suspensions and administrative changes without creating the level of public uncertainty now surrounding your latest decision. Your abrupt removal of Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh as Minister of Justice and Attorney General, along with Cllr. Augustine Fayiah as Solicitor General, has generated controversy, suspicion and legitimate questions that require a clear and timely response from your government.

This concern does not arise merely from your constitutional authority to appoint, remove or reassign officials. That authority is not in dispute. The concern involves public confidence, institutional credibility and the timing of the decision.

The two officials were removed at a particularly sensitive moment. The Ministry of Justice is handling some of Liberia’s most politically consequential cases, including the narcotics prosecution involving former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor and the continuing legal controversy surrounding former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah Jr.

Under these circumstances, the simultaneous removal of the Attorney General and Solicitor General cannot reasonably be viewed as an ordinary administrative adjustment. Liberians are asking a simple but unavoidable question: Why now?

The government must understand the mood of the country. Liberians increasingly expect more than official announcements of appointments, dismissals and reassignments. They want to understand the reasons behind decisions capable of affecting the administration of justice and the credibility of the state.

When two senior legal officials are abruptly removed during a period of heightened political and legal tension, the public will naturally search for an explanation beyond routine administrative language. Government silence allows speculation to occupy the space where verified information should be.

For The Analyst, the matter extends beyond Cllr. Tweh and Cllr. Fayiah as individuals. It concerns the institutional stability and independence of the Ministry of Justice.

Frequent or unexplained changes at the top of an institution responsible for prosecuting major criminal cases can create the perception—fairly or unfairly—that political considerations are influencing prosecutorial decisions. That perception alone can damage a government that has made respect for the rule of law one of its central promises.

Liberia has reached a point where almost every major criminal prosecution is interpreted through a political lens. Supporters of the government see accountability, while opponents see selective justice. In such an environment, transparency remains the only credible answer.

Your government cannot afford to leave an information vacuum in which competing political narratives become more believable than official explanations. Its assertion that the changes were intended to strengthen institutions and improve public-service delivery does not answer the central question: What specifically required the removal of Liberia’s two principal legal officers at this particular moment?

Public suspicion has intensified because of allegations that the decision may be connected to former President George Manneh Weah’s return to Liberia. There is no publicly established evidence that Cllr. Tweh was removed because he allegedly refused to authorize Weah’s arrest, and The Analyst does not present that allegation as fact.

The allegation is nevertheless circulating widely. Continued government silence risks giving it undeserved credibility.

Mr. President, that is precisely why your government must speak clearly. If the changes had nothing to do with former President Weah, say so. If they were unrelated to the Jewel Howard-Taylor investigation, make that clear. If professional, administrative or performance-related considerations led to the removals, explain those considerations to the Liberian people.

The country deserves to know.

Justice Cannot Operate Under Suspicion

Your administration has repeatedly pledged to uphold the rule of law and strengthen Liberia’s public institutions. That commitment is now being tested.

The government’s fight against narcotics trafficking deserves national support. Corruption must be prosecuted, and economic crimes must be properly investigated. Every prosecution, however, must be insulated from political interference, and every accused person—whether a former vice president, former minister, former president or ordinary citizen—must receive due process.

The same standard must protect government officials entrusted with prosecutorial authority. They must be free to perform their professional responsibilities according to the Constitution and laws of Liberia, without fear that political consequences will determine whether they remain in office.

This moment requires exceptional caution because Liberia’s justice system is not merely another arm of government. It is one of the institutions through which citizens determine whether the state treats people fairly and applies the law impartially.

Once citizens begin to believe that prosecutors can be removed or retained because of the political consequences of a case, confidence in the entire justice system begins to erode. The damage can extend far beyond the individuals currently appearing before the courts.

Today, the accused may be a former vice president or former minister. Tomorrow, it could be any citizen. The strength of the rule of law is ultimately measured by whether the same principles apply when an accused person is powerful, politically connected or widely unpopular.

The Analyst therefore considers it unacceptable for major changes at the top of the Ministry of Justice to occur without a sufficient public explanation, particularly when the country is deeply divided over the government’s handling of high-profile criminal cases.

Mr. President, constitutional authority is not a substitute for public accountability. You have the authority to make these changes, but Liberians have the right to ask why, and your government has a responsibility to answer them.

At a time when public trust in government institutions is under intense pressure, silence will only deepen suspicion. A full explanation would not weaken the presidency; it would demonstrate respect for the people and strengthen confidence in the justice system.

Mr. President, Liberia is not asking for speculation. Liberia is asking for facts.

Tell the country why Cllr. Tweh and Cllr. Fayiah were removed. The credibility of your administration—and public confidence in Liberia’s justice system—may depend on that explanation.