Mr Edwin Melvin Snowe

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives

Date of Birth: 11/02/1970

Education: St Andrews HIgh School, Margibi County; BA, Political Science, University of Liberia. 

Career: Managing Director, Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company; Speaker of the House of Representatives, 2006-07 .

Commentary: Formerly married to Charles Taylor's oldest daughter and a former official of the National Patriotic Party, Snowe's allegiances are often questioned. 

He and other supporters of Charles Taylor, who is currently being tried for war crimes at the Hague, are thought to have worked hard to undermine the government. There were corruption charges against Snowe related to unaccounted payments of over US$1 million, when in 2003-05 under the National Transistional Government of Liberia (NTGL), he headed the state-owned Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company. Snowe in turn accused the government of awarding exclusive rice-import permits to Sinkor Trading Company.

The Monrovia City Court ruled in his favour in August 2009, former justice minister Philip Banks is said to have soft-pedalled Snowe's trial.