The former Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), Dr. Dougbeh Christopher Nyan has petitioned the Supreme Court of Liberia for a Writ of Prohibition against the Executive Branch of Government, seeking to halt what he calls his “illegal and unconstitutional removal” from office.
The petition, filed on October 23, 2025, before Chambers Justice Jamessetta Howard-Wolokollie, names the Ministry of Justice, represented by the Attorney General, Solicitor General, and all persons acting under their authority, as respondents.
In his filing, Dr. Nyan argues that his dismissal by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai is not based on a resolution from the NPHIL Board of Directors, violates both the NPHIL Establishment Act of 2016 and Article 20(a) of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia, which guarantees due process of law.
Tenure Protected by Law
According to the petition, Dr. Nyan was appointed by the President on August 1, 2024, to a five-year tenure as Director General of NPHIL in keeping with Section 4.4 of the NPHIL Act.
The law provides that the Director General may only be removed “for cause,” including corruption, conviction, incapacity, or conduct inimical to the public interest, and only after due process.
Dr. Nyan maintains that none of these statutory conditions were met and that he was not formally charged, investigated, or afforded a hearing before the purported termination.
“Petitioner has not been accused, charged, or investigated for any act constituting a statutory cause for removal,” the petition reads, adding that the termination was based on a Board resolution alleging unspecified violations without evidence or due process.
Board’s Action and Presidential Termination
The dispute stems from a September 12, 2025, resolution by NPHIL’s Board of Directors recommending Dr. Nyan’s removal.
Five days later, on September 17, 2025, President Boakai issued a letter terminating his tenure, citing the Board’s recommendation.
Dr. Nyan says he responded in writing to the allegations on the same day, rejecting the claims and defending his compliance with institutional policies.
Despite this, the President proceeded with the termination, which Nyan now challenges as unlawful.
The petition stresses that “no formal charges were served, no investigation conducted, nor any findings made to establish any statutory cause for removal,” a move he describes as “a flagrant violation of the laws and Constitution of Liberia.”
Dr. Nyan’s lawyers, led by Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe of Gongloe & Associates and Cllr. Kabineh M. Ja’neh, former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, relies on prior Supreme Court opinions reinforcing the protection of tenure positions in autonomous agencies.
