Liberia's Supreme Court to hear appeal on ousted health chief
The government is appealing a ruling that ordered reinstatement or compensation for Dr. Dougbeh Christopher Nyan.
Liberia’s Supreme Court will hear arguments on October 26, 2026, in the government’s appeal of a February ruling. The earlier ruling ordered President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s administration to reinstate or fully compensate Dr. Dougbeh Christopher Nyan, the biomedical scientist removed a year ago as head of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL). The case comes before the full court as an appeal from Nyan’s successful petition for a writ of prohibition.
The government, represented by the Ministry of Justice, filed the appeal against the February 16, 2026, ruling by Associate Justice Jamesetta Howard Wolokolie. Nyan, appointed by Boakai on August 1, 2024, was dismissed on October 15, 2025, along with his deputy, Dr. Adams K. Lincoln. Nyan's tenure saw the institute lead responses to mpox, Lassa fever, and measles outbreaks.
Nyan's dismissal is the latest turn in a dispute testing a president's power to remove officials with protected terms. The NPHIL Act states its Director General serves a fixed five-year term and can only be removed for specified causes after due process. The government's appeal follows an 11-count resolution from the NPHIL Board of Directors.
Why it mattersLiberia's Supreme Court will decide if President Boakai's administration must reinstate or compensate the former head of the national public health agency.