By Pewu Y. Sumo
MONROVIA — Montserrado County District #3 Representative, Hon. Sumo Mulbah, has strongly cautioned his colleagues against making a “solitary scapegoat” out of the judiciary amid mounting pressure over the release of Michael U.S. Brown, a prime suspect in a $19.2 million cocaine trafficking operation who was previously detained on non-bailable charges related to synthetic cannabis (kush).
While a segment of the House of Representatives has focused heavily on an impeachment motion against Judge T. Ciapha Carey—who was presiding over the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court in Margibi County when the release occurred—Representative Mulbah argues that targeting the judge alone is a short-sighted approach that ignores institutional complicity.
“If you want to kill a snake, do not cut only the tail; smash the head and the entire body.”
In a formal communication addressed to his legislative colleagues, Rep. Mulbah argued that the release of a high-profile narcotics suspect under Liberia’s amended, stringent drug laws represents a multi-branch breakdown rather than an isolated error by a single judge.
The Montserrado County District 3 lawmaker laid out the complex statutory web governing prison releases in Liberia, highlighting that the Executive branch carries immense responsibility for the custody of high-risk inmates.
Under the Criminal Procedure Law of Liberia, the physical custody, medical welfare, and safekeeping of all prisoners fall squarely under the Ministry of Justice’s Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation (BCR). The Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation initiates the medical declaration, the Ministry of Justice petitions for compassionate release, and the sentencing judge ultimately holds the statutory mandate to sign the legal release order.
According to Rep. Mulbah, the process at Kakata Central Prison was actively set in motion by prison authorities who cited medical concerns and ultimately accepted a simple human surety bond for an offense that is explicitly non-bailable under the law.
“The release of a high-profile suspect… is not merely a failure of judicial discretion; it represents a systemic collapse of our law enforcement, custodial, and prosecutorial frameworks,” Rep. Mulbah wrote. He emphasized that focusing exclusively on Judge Carey shields the executive actors who managed and facilitated the suspect’s custody.
A Call for Votes of No Confidence
To ensure total transparency, Representative Mulbah announced his intention to introduce formal votes of no confidence against the leadership of the Ministry of Justice responsible for oversight during the period of the release.
The Montserrado County lawmaker has therefore called on his colleagues on Capitol Hill to cast a vote of no confidence in Councillor Oswald Tweh: The Minister of Justice and Attorney General, who serves as the dean of the cabinet and chief law officer overseeing the state’s joint security apparatus and national prison system, his Assistant Minister for the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Eddie S. Tarawali, who oversees day-to-day operations and prison superintendents.
Representative Mulbah is also urging the House to summon every individual connected to the scandal, including the prison superintendent, the suspect’s legal counsel, and Ministry of Justice officials.
“True transparency demands that we summon and investigate every hand that touched this release order,” Mulbah concluded, warning that allowing executive branch actors to escape scrutiny undermines judicial independence and leaves the core infrastructure of state complicity entirely untouched.
As the legislative session proceeds today, all eyes are on Capitol Hill to see if Representatives will expand the scope of their investigation or move forward strictly with the judicial impeachment.
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