Monrovia – Monrovia Metropolis Courtroom Choose Ben Barco has granted a medical dispensation to Montserrado County District #5 Consultant Prescilla Cooper (Unity Occasion), following a request by her authorized group. Nevertheless, an identical enchantment made on behalf of Consultant Abu Kamara (CDC, District #15, Montserrado County) was denied, regardless of claims that he was affected by hypertension whereas in detention.
By Willie N. Tokpah
FPA gathered that police additionally launched Cooper Friday night time, whereas the 4 lawmakers from the CDC have been stayed.
Though Cooper’s launch was formally attributed to well being considerations, critics have questioned whether or not her latest political alignment with the ruling Unity Occasion-led Majority Bloc could have influenced the police and court docket’s determination—an allegation they haven’t publicly addressed.
Consultant Cooper was briefly seen on the grounds of the Temple of Justice in Monrovia on Saturday, June 7, however left earlier than her colleagues have been escorted beneath tight safety to the Monrovia Central Jail.
On the identical day, Choose Barco ordered the incarceration of 4 sitting lawmakers, together with former Home Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, in reference to the December 2024 hearth that engulfed a piece of the Capitol Constructing amid a bitter management wrestle within the Legislature.
5 lawmakers have been initially detained on the Liberia Nationwide Police (LNP) Headquarters following their arraignment on a number of felony expenses. Nevertheless, Cooper was later granted a medical exemption after reportedly collapsing whereas in custody.
The remaining 4 lawmakers—Cllr. Fonati Koffa (District #2, Grand Kru County), Dixon Seboe (District #16, Montserrado County), Abu Kamara (District #15, Montserrado County), and Jacob Debee II (District #3, Grand Gedeh County)—have been transferred from the Monrovia Metropolis Courtroom to the Monrovia Central Jail after spending the night time at LNP Headquarters.
They face an array of significant expenses, together with arson, legal mischief, legal facilitation, reckless endangerment, tried homicide, and legal conspiracy. The costs stem from their alleged involvement within the hearth that severely broken one wing of the Capitol Constructing in December 2024.
Throughout Saturday’s court docket look, no formal pleas have been entered. The prosecution requested the continued detention of the accused pending additional investigation, whereas protection attorneys are reportedly making ready motions for bail and authorized challenges.
The court docket’s determination to remand the lawmakers has sparked widespread public debate. Whereas some have praised it as a crucial transfer towards accountability, others see it as doubtlessly politically motivated, elevating recent considerations about judicial independence in Liberia.
Authorized consultants consider the case might turn out to be a defining take a look at for Liberia’s democratic establishments, given the excessive profiles of these concerned and the gravity of the costs.
Former Speaker Koffa, a constitutional lawyer, responded briefly to journalists on the Temple of Justice on Saturday, stating that he had used the toothbrush he introduced with him on Friday whereas in detention on the LNP Headquarters and that he was “headed to South Seashore”—a reference to the Monrovia Central Jail.
Courtroom proceedings are anticipated to proceed within the coming week, with nationwide and worldwide observers intently monitoring what could turn out to be one among Liberia’s most politically delicate trials.
FrontPage Africa will proceed to offer in-depth protection and well timed updates because the case unfolds.
