Liberia’s Vice President and political leader of the National Patriotic Party (NPP) Madam Jewel Howard Taylor has been summoned by the Civil Law Court in Monrovia in relation to a petition filed before the court by NPP chairman James P. Biney and other party officials.
NPP, a former governing party during imprisoned former President Charles Ghankay Taylor’s rule, forms part of a tripartite arrangement that rules as the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government headed by President George Manneh Weah.
Through the writ of summons from the Civil Law Court, the sheriff has been mandated to summon Madam Taylor and all those acting under her authority to appear before the court to meet on the third Monday in June to answer the petition.
The writ notes that failure to appear, judgment will be rendered against the vice president and all those acting under her authority. They are also ordered to file their formal appearance or answer before 30 July 2020.
The former ruling NPP faces years of internal conflict, in which the party is sometimes divided between Mrs. Taylor and party chairman Biney.
At one point of the internal crisis within NPP in 20218, Mr. Biney was still battling his expulsion from the party when he and his loyalists retaliated by expelling Madam Taylor as party standard bearer, a decision she challenged.
However, some NPP partisans have called on both Mr. Biney and Vice President Taylor to put aside their differences and unite the party, but the party still has issues before the Civil Law Court where the court has indicated through the writ of summons that it could render a judgment if Mrs. Taylor and those under her authority do not appear.
By Winston W. Parley
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