MONROVIA-Former presidential candidate Dr. Clarence K. Moniba has renewed his call for President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to establish an independent panel to investigate Liberia’s ongoing cocaine case, arguing that the public deserves to know the people behind the alleged drug operation.
Dr. Moniba said his latest appeal follows President Boakai’s recent address to the nation on the cocaine investigation, which he welcomed as the first of two steps he had previously requested.
“I welcome that step,” Dr. Moniba said, while urging the President to now take what he described as the second step: establishing an independent panel.
According to Dr. Moniba, the central question confronting Liberia is whether authorities are truly getting to the individuals behind the cocaine operation.
He noted that nearly three years have passed since the previous administration left office, yet the country continues to grapple with a cocaine operation involving drugs of extraordinary value and what he described as a sophisticated network capable of moving and protecting the illicit substances.
Dr. Moniba questioned whether an operation of such magnitude could have existed without protection or complicity at higher levels of authority.
“Where are the people of consequence?” he asked, while calling for answers about who allegedly protected the operations, facilitated them, knew about them, or benefited from them.
He said the lack of clear answers has instead left Liberians with speculation and unanswered questions.
Dr. Moniba also pointed to the recent case involving former Deputy Commissioner for Crime Services and former head of Unit 106, Johnny Bolar Dean, saying the matter makes an independent review even more urgent.
Nearly two months ago, Inspector General of Police Gregory Coleman announced that Dean had admitted receiving US$10,000 in connection with suspects under investigation in the cocaine case. According to the Inspector General, Dean was removed from his position because his conduct had compromised him and was subsequently subjected to further investigation.
Dr. Moniba stressed that Dean’s guilt or innocence must be determined through due process and the courts. However, he argued that the allegations involving a senior police official raise broader questions that should be independently examined.
“If a senior police official involved in such a consequential investigation allegedly received money connected to suspects, the Liberian people deserve to know whether this was an isolated incident or evidence of something much deeper,” he stated.
He said the proposed independent panel should not be established to target individuals or reach a predetermined conclusion. Instead, it should have the authority to follow the evidence wherever it leads, regardless of the political administration under which implicated individuals served or their wealth, influence, or position.
“If the evidence points to former officials, they must answer for it,” Moniba said. “If it points to current officials, they must answer for it. If it points elsewhere, the same standard must apply.”
The former presidential candidate warned against allowing the fight against drug trafficking to become a politically driven search for convenient names.
“The fight against drugs cannot become a search for convenient names. It must become a search for the truth,” he said.
Dr. Moniba emphasized that President Boakai has already taken the first step by addressing the nation and urged him to complete the process by establishing the independent panel.
He argued that Liberia’s current moment is too important for speculation, political narratives, or institutional silence to replace a credible search for the truth.
“The Liberian people deserve to know who enabled this operation, who protected it, who benefited from it, and whether our institutions are capable of holding the powerful accountable,” he said.
Dr. Moniba concluded by urging the government to allow the evidence to guide the investigation and ultimately lead Liberia to the truth.I can also make this more hard-hitting and investigative in tone, while keeping the allegations carefully attributed and legally cautious.