Published: October 9, 2026
MONROVIA — The government will oppose any attempt by former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor and her 19 co-defendants in the US$317 million cocaine trafficking case to get bail or have the indictment dismissed, the acting solicitor general said Thursday. He also said some defendants remain at large.
By Roseline Gbessagee
Acting Solicitor General Cllr. Abraham Boimah Sillah Sr. told the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing that the government expects legal challenges in the coming days and will push for a speedy trial.
“We are certain that we expect those kinds of challenges in the next few days, and our objective will be to resist them to the letter and to the spirit of the law, and ensure that the indictment stands against each and every one,” Sillah said.
He said the government will defend the indictment against any motion to dismiss it, any appeal, and any bail application.
“Second objective is to protect every allegation, the body, the content, the four corners of the indictment against any procedural step that any of the defendants may trigger to either dismiss the indictment, to appeal any provision thereof, or any decision of the court, and all to make an application for admission to bail,” he said.
Sillah said 15 of the 20 defendants are Liberian and five are foreign nationals. Two of the foreigners are being held at the Monrovia Central Prison.
“As we speak, 20 persons were indicted, including Gerald Folley Smith, Cayce Nelson, Christopher Saryee, Mark Quiah, and the former Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, Madam Jewel Howard Taylor,” he said.
Sillah said the government will seek the return of any defendants who are abroad. “If they are outside our borders, the appropriate bilateral mechanisms or mutual legal assistance will be invoked to ensure they are brought for prosecution,” he said.
The indictment names 18 defendants, plus two men identified only as Sekou and Nana. The indictment names five foreign nationals: Nikola Ivancic, whom it describes as the network’s leader and says directed it from Dubai; Taras Zadereiko; Mihovil Vrovac; Srdan Seles; and Johann David Garces Grajales. Seles and Garces Grajales were arrested at the Cement Road compound in the VOA Community where police seized the cocaine on July 21.
The government’s position on bail comes as Howard-Taylor is already outside prison. On Sept. 4, Criminal Court ‘C’ granted her compassionate medical release from the Monrovia Central Prison, allowing her to serve home detention on Tubman Boulevard in Sinkor.
Howard-Taylor has denied the charges. “The Office reiterates, unequivocally, Madam Jewel Howard-Taylor’s position that she is innocent of the allegations against her. She remains confident that the judicial process will ultimately establish the facts and looks forward to her Defense Team presenting her case through the proper legal channels,” her office said in a statement Wednesday.
Rulings on bail and on any motion to dismiss rest with the court. The indictment is an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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