Liberia: Former VP Jewel Taylor Rushed to Hospital Under Police Escort

What the report says

Former Liberian Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor was taken to the Gomez Institute of Medical Sciences in Congo Town, Monrovia, after a medical emergency while she was in police custody, according to Liberian Observer. The report said she spent Thursday night at the hospital under police escort and remained under medical observation there.

The article said Taylor had been held at the Liberia National Police headquarters after her arrest at Roberts International Airport on Wednesday, August 19, as she prepared to travel to Accra, Ghana, for a women’s forum. Her lawyers said she experienced an asthma attack and a sharp rise in blood pressure, and that efforts to stabilize her at police headquarters did not work, prompting the transfer.

Taylor’s court appearance in Monrovia was postponed, adding to a case that has drawn national attention. The government has charged her in connection with an investigation into alleged transnational drug trafficking and a major cocaine seizure, with the report saying the accusations include drug trafficking, money laundering and other offenses. Justice Minister Oswald N. Tweh has stressed that the charges are allegations and that Taylor is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Her legal team said the hospital stay does not amount to release and that she remains in state custody. The report also noted visits from family members, former Foreign Minister Maxwell Kemayah and lawmakers from Bong County, while the timing of any further court action remained unclear.