A procedural dispute over how a Supreme Court stay order was delivered to the House of Representatives has complicated Montserrado County District 10 Representative Yekeh Kolubah's legal fight to overturn his expulsion, raising new questions about due process and separation of powers in Liberia.
On April 16, 2026, Associate Justice Yussif D. Kaba, sitting in Chambers, granted Kolubah's petition for a writ of prohibition and ordered House leadership to "stay all further proceedings and/or actions" pending a judicial conference scheduled for April 20 at 2:30 p.m. The directive was addressed to Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon, Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah, the House Chief Clerk, the Sergeant-at-Arms and all individuals acting under their authority.
Despite the order, the House voted on April 17 to expel Rep. Kolubah, with 49 lawmakers signing a resolution from the Committee on Rules, Order and Administration. The committee's findings were ratified just three days before House leaders were due to appear before the Supreme Court.
However, in a subsequent decision lifting the stay, Justice Kaba pointed to procedural defects in how the writ was served. Citing Rule 26.5 of the Rules of the House of Representatives, he noted that the Sergeant-at-Arms is designated as the sole officer authorized to receive judicial precepts and other official court instruments on behalf of the House.
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According to court records, the Marshal of the Supreme Court instead served the documents on a receptionist and a computer operator attached to the offices of the Speaker and the Chief Clerk. Justice Kaba said this did not meet the legal threshold for service.
"Service upon the Office of the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker, and for that matter, any other members of the House, absent service upon the Sergeant-at-Arms, does not constitute proper service consistent with Rule 26.5," Justice Kaba stated.
He further clarified that the House Rules do not empower "ordinary employees or staff members" to accept judicial process for the Legislature. As a result, the respondents, members of the House majority who voted for Kolubah's expulsion, could not be deemed to have had legal notice of the writ or the stay order.
The lifting of the stay effectively clears the procedural barrier that had prevented the House from acting on Kolubah's expulsion.
Kaba's decision turns on process rather than the merits of the lawmaker's removal, focusing strictly on whether the Legislature was properly notified of the pending legal challenge.
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The political future of Kolubah now lies in the hands of the Full Bench of the Supreme Court, after the embattled lawmaker lost his petition to block his expulsion from the House of Representatives.
The process to expel the lawmaker began on April 9, 2026, when Rep. Sumo K. Mulbah of Montserrado District 3 submitted a formal complaint. He accused Rep. Yekeh Kolubah of gross misconduct, violating his oath of office, repeatedly breaching House rules, and damaging the Legislature's reputation. Around the same time, Inspector General of Police Gregory O.W. Coleman flagged concerns that Kolubah's actions posed risks to national security and public safety.
The complaint was sent to the Committee on Rules, Order and Administration, led by Rep. James M. Kolleh. Kolubah received notice and attended an April 13 hearing, where he asked for a five-day extension to seek legal counsel. The committee granted two business days instead. On April 15, Kolubah walked out of a follow-up hearing, after which the House began moving forward with expulsion proceedings.
National security officials had also warned that Kolubah's comments on the Liberia-Guinea border dispute risked escalating tensions in border communities. Kolubah denies the allegations, arguing that he is being targeted because of his political stance.
