Liberia: Pul Seeks Legal Action Against Govt Over Drug Cartel Media Allegations

What the report says

The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) says it will pursue legal remedies after the government did not provide evidence for allegations that parts of the Liberian media received money from a drug cartel. According to the Liberian Observer, the union’s membership made the decision at a mass meeting on August 3 at the PUL headquarters in Monrovia and asked its leadership to consult lawyers within a week.

The dispute follows comments on July 30 by Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman, speaking for a government Joint Security Investigative Taskforce, who said the group had verified claims that cartel money was used to influence media coverage of investigations into a cocaine seizure. The report said no supporting evidence was presented publicly for that assertion.

PUL members said the claim could damage the reputation and safety of journalists and weaken public confidence in the media. Union president Julius Kanubah told the meeting the organization was not seeking confrontation with the government, but argued that authorities should provide evidence if they believe media outlets were involved. The issue comes amid broader scrutiny of drug trafficking cases in Liberia and questions about possible links between criminal networks and public officials, although those wider allegations were not detailed in the evidence provided.