Author: Chester Smith

IPNEWS: The Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) has announced that it has collected US$954.7 million in revenue for Fiscal Year 2026 as of Wednesday morning, putting the government on track to cross the US$1 billion revenue milestone before the end of this month (September 2026). LRA Commissioner-General James Dorbor Jallah made the disclosure during a Revenue Performance and Revenue Measures and Policies Review Meeting in Monrovia, saying the latest collection figure reflects continued collaboration between the LRA, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, and other government institutions. “As of this morning, we can report that we have raised US$954.7 million…

IPNEWS: President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has made several appointments in Government, affecting the Ministries of Justice, Gender, Children and Social Protection, and Local Government. The appointments also affect the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) and the National Transit Authority (NTA). At the Ministry of Justice, Cllr. Betty M. Lamin-Blamo has been appointed Minister of Justice, while Cllr. Abrahim Boimah Sillah, Sr. has been appointed Solicitor General. Outgoing Minister Oswald N. Tweh and outgoing Solicitor General Augustine Fayiah are to be reassigned to other levels of government. At the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ms. Angel M.…

IPNEWS: A Montserrado Grand Jury has indicted 10 defendants — George Wah Harris (Leroy Harris), Paul Jamaal King, Philip Yeoh Jr., Mohammed O. Gbowrah, Moses Jallah, Michael U.S. Brown (Rahim/Raheem Bah), Polo Bah, Oscar J. Brown, Usman Ali, and a private bar operator yet to be identified — in what prosecutors describe as a 200‑kilogram cocaine trafficking scheme involving false cargo declarations, alleged airport links, and a dramatic US$100,000 bribe attempt to reclaim the seized drugs. Prosecutors say the cocaine was packed in six boxes falsely labeled as Maggi cubes and lappas, routed through the Old Road residence of Paul…

IPNEWS: The Civil Service Agency (CSA), through its Welfare Services Division, in collaboration with the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP), on Wednesday convened a two-day awareness session ahead of a nationwide Pre-Retirement Counselling and Data Collection Exercise. The Session is being attended by Human Resource Directors and Managers from the 109 Government Spending Entities. The nationwide Pre-Retirement Counselling and Data Collection Exercise is scheduled to run from September 14 to October 10, 2026. It will ensure Government Spending Entities are fully informed about the objectives, procedures, and responsibilities associated with the exercise. At the opening of the awareness…

IPNEWS: ‎The Ministry of Justice has clarified the circumstances surrounding the August 28 release of two pregnant pre-trial detainees, Kebbeh Pewee and Annie Kollie, from the Monrovia Central Prison.‎‎The Ministry says the two women were released through established legal procedures, following nolle prosequi applications filed by the prosecution and subsequent release orders issued by Criminal Court “A” in Montserrado County. The clarification comes amid public reports suggesting that their release was secured through the intervention of former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, who is currently detained at the prison.‎‎According to the Ministry, the Bureau of Probation and Parole Services, on August…

IPNEWS: Former President George Weah’s return to Liberia Wednesday amid recent calls to rally partisans send a stark political message of resistance against alleged authoritarianism, political persecution, and the “weaponization” of the judicial system by President Joseph Boakai’s administration. Weah’s public declarations and actions lay out a multi-layered political challenge to the sitting government including Accusations of “Political Witch-Hunts” and Democratic Decline: Weah has explicitly accused the Boakai administration of presiding over a “democratic decline” and rising authoritarianism. By utilizing an ongoing drug investigation to detain and impose travel restrictions on former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, and indicting other former…

— President Boakai Relives Justice Minister & Solicitor General IPNEWS: President Joseph Boakai has replaced Justice Minister N. Oswald Tweh as part of a broad administrative reshuffle and cabinet restructuring. Official communications from the Executive Mansion notes that outgoing officials, including Tweh and Solicitor General Augustine Fayiah, were slated for potential reassignment elsewhere within the government. President Boakai named Cllr. Betty M. Lamin-Blamo as the new Minister of Justice and Cllr. Abraham Boimah Sillah as Solicitor General. Even Though there had been no reasons for reliving Justice Minister Teweh, critics and political actors, including elements within the ruling Unity Party,…

—As Partisans and supporters flood Streets Ahead of Arrival IPNEWS: massive crowd of supporters are flooding various streets of Monrovia and are now gathering at the Roberts International Airport (RIA) to welcome former Liberian President George Weah upon his highly anticipated return to Liberia. Thousands of partisans from the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC)—often referred to as “CDCians”—mobilized in what party leaders described as a “tsunami” of support, singing, dancing, and chanting slogans. State security forces heavily tightened measures around the airport, setting up roadblocks and establishing restricted zones. Minor clashes and serious tension erupted between CDC supporters and police…

IPNEWS: ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML) has reaffirmed its commitment to community development as its CEO and a team of senior company executives joined Government officials and key stakeholders on Monday for a major Community Development Fund (CDF) Stakeholders Consultation convened by the Ministry of Mines and Energy. The high-level consultation focused on developing a clear roadmap for the establishment and operationalization of the new Community Development Fund under the amended Mineral Development Agreement (MDA). The meeting brought together representatives from relevant government ministries and agencies, county leadership, community stakeholders, and ArcelorMittal Liberia to discuss critical steps toward making the Fund fully…

IPNEWS: Bong County Electoral District No. 3 Rep. J. Marvin Cole has engaged citizens and community members on the arrest of former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor in connection with the ongoing investigation into a reported US$317 million drug case in Liberia. During the community engagement, Rep. Cole questioned the circumstances surrounding the former vice president’s arrest and raised concerns about the manner in which security personnel reportedly handled the situation. PROBE NEWSPAPER REPORTS. Cole recounted allegations that Howard-Taylor was taken into custody without being given sufficient opportunity to use the bathroom or return to her residence after she was arrested.…