MONROVIA, Liberia — Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah has strongly condemned comments attributed to Bong County District #3 Representative Marvin Cole regarding the ongoing court proceedings involving former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, describing the lawmaker’s statements as “reckless and irresponsible.”
Speaking Tuesday, September 1, 2026, during the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing, Minister Piah accused Representative Cole of spreading what he characterized as misinformation about the case and using the proceedings to stir political and sectional sentiments in Bong County ahead of the 2029 elections.
According to Piah, Representative Cole has been encouraging residents of Bong County to resist the ongoing legal process and reject the Unity Party-led government in the 2029 elections, allegedly arguing that Howard-Taylor is being prosecuted because she is a Kpelle woman and a daughter of Bong County.
The Information Minister rejected the allegation, insisting that the former Vice President’s legal troubles are connected to alleged narcotics-related activities and not her ethnic or regional background.
Piah particularly referenced the investigation surrounding Liberia’s historic cocaine seizure, which has been publicly valued at approximately US$317 million, as part of the broader circumstances surrounding the proceedings.
The Minister also took issue with what he described as tribal, regional, and sectional rhetoric emanating from the Bong County lawmaker.
He warned that such statements could contribute to political and social divisions in a country still mindful of the devastating consequences of its past conflicts.
“Tribalism, regionalism and sectionalism” were among the factors that contributed to Liberia’s 14-year civil conflict, Piah said, cautioning public officials against rhetoric that could reopen old divisions or threaten the country’s peace.
The Information Minister urged Representative Cole to refrain from what he called irresponsible public statements and challenged him to conduct himself in a manner consistent with the responsibilities of an elected national official.
Piah’s comments add to the growing political debate surrounding the legal proceedings involving the former Vice President, as Liberia’s political actors increasingly position themselves ahead of the 2029 elections.