Charles Taylor’s family drags Liberia govt to ECOWAS court over his emoluments

Family and political allies of former Liberian president Charles Taylor have dragged the government to a regional court demanding his emoluments since leaving office in 2003.

The family says they opted to approach the ECOWAS court because all past governments have refused to make the payments whiles cases before the Supreme Court in 2014 and 2018 have yet to be ruled upon.

Cyril Allen, a former chairman of Taylor’s National Patriotic Party, also defended the decision to drag Monrovia to the Abuja-based court.

“The issue of President Taylor demanding his benefit is law – it is not the value of the money, it is the law. It is an entitlement,” Mr. Allen, now an ally of President George Weah, said.

“The best the government could do in this instance is to negotiate,” he said.

“Yes the economic situation in the country is not the best but the person must be given due respect, there must be some negotiation and discussions relative to the law,” he stressed.

Taylor stepped down under pressure after a bloody civil war in the West African country before flying into exile in Nigeria in 2003.

The 73-year-old is currently serving a 50-year jail sentence in the UK after he was found guilty of supporting rebel forces in neighbouring Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war.

Current president George Weah is known to have links to Taylor, his Vice-President is also a former spouse of the former President.Comments: