Published: June 5, 2026
Ambassador-at-Large Sheikh Al-Moustapha Kouyateh (R) and Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Samuel A. Stevquoah III
CAPITOL HILL, Monrovia — The House of Representatives unanimously adopted a vote of no confidence Thursday in Ambassador-at-Large Sheikh Al-Moustapha Kouyateh, escalating a bitter standoff that began when the senior envoy accused lawmakers of corruption and, by the House’s account, refused to take it back.
The break came after Grand Bassa County Electoral District No. 2 Rep. J. Clarence T. Banks submitted a communication to plenary recounting an encounter he said he had with Kouyateh at OK FM on May 31.
According to Banks, both men were guests on the station’s morning program. He said that while waiting to go on air, he met the ambassador as he left the studio and asked how his interview had gone.
Banks quoted Kouyateh as replying: “I did not apologize, and will not apologize about my statement on the social media about the House of Representatives.”
The lawmaker said the remark was made in front of several station employees and guests and described the incident as disgraceful and shameful. He asked plenary to act, arguing that the House needed to send a clear message about the working relationship between the Executive and the Legislature while preserving the dignity and independence of both branches.
The communication reignited a controversy that began with comments Kouyateh had made accusing members of the Legislature of corruption, particularly over the granting and approval of concession agreements.
The allegations drew significant public debate and prompted the House to summon the ambassador to appear before its leadership and produce evidence to support his claims.
Responding to the invitation, Kouyateh appeared before lawmakers accompanied by Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Samuel A. Stevquoah III and the president’s senior legal adviser. Under extensive questioning, he acknowledged that his remarks were improper and apologized to members of the House.
Lawmakers, however, directed him to repeat the apology publicly through the same medium he had used to make the original allegations, arguing that any correction should carry the same weight and reach as the accusations. According to members of the House, that directive was never fulfilled.
Instead, lawmakers contend, the ambassador later returned to OK FM, where he declined to retract the allegations publicly and maintained that he would not apologize beyond the statement already made before the House.
The dispute reached a head during Thursday’s sitting when Sinoe County Electoral District No. 1 Rep. Romeo Quioh introduced the motion seeking the vote of no confidence.
Quioh argued that the ambassador’s conduct showed a blatant disregard for the authority and dignity of the Legislature and a lack of respect for one of Liberia’s three coordinate branches of government. The motion said Kouyateh’s actions amounted to conduct unbecoming of a senior public official and risked eroding public confidence in democratic institutions through what lawmakers described as reckless and unsubstantiated allegations.
“The Legislature cannot remain silent when its institutional integrity is subjected to repeated attacks by a public official who has failed to substantiate his allegations and has disregarded the opportunity afforded him to correct the public record,” portions of the motion stated.
The motion also accused Kouyateh of aggravating the situation by making further disparaging remarks against the Legislature after he had been given an opportunity to clarify his comments before plenary.
Following deliberations, the House voted unanimously in favor of the motion.
The resolution directs that the Office of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai be formally notified of the Legislature’s position and its unwillingness to engage with Kouyateh in any official capacity affecting the business of the House. Lawmakers also asked the president to take appropriate administrative action consistent with preserving cordial relations between the two branches.
Copies of the resolution are expected to be transmitted to the Office of the President, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant government institutions.
The vote does not automatically remove Kouyateh from office, but it represents one of the strongest expressions of disapproval available to the Legislature and signals a sharp deterioration in relations between the ambassador and the House.
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