Monrovia – John Nyanti, a key suspect within the December 2024 Capitol Constructing arson assault, has accused the Authorities of Liberia of trying to bribe him with US$200,000 to falsely implicate former Home Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa and different lawmakers.
By Willie N. Tokpah & Victoria Wesseh, [email protected], [email protected]
Nyanti, who was extradited from Ghana beneath heavy safety, made the allegation throughout a pretrial listening to held at Legal Courtroom “A” in Monrovia on Wednesday, June 18. The case has attracted nationwide consideration for the reason that hearth gutted the Joint Chambers of the Capitol Constructing on December 18, 2024, elevating questions on sabotage, political motives, and safety lapses at considered one of Liberia’s most symbolic establishments.
Talking beneath oath, Nyanti claimed he was held beneath de facto home arrest on the Way of life Lodge in Thinkers Village upon his arrival in Liberia on June 6. Whereas there, he alleged, he was positioned beneath 24-hour surveillance and pressured by senior safety officers recognized solely by their code names “106,” “103,” and a person named Mark Ambula.
In accordance with Nyanti, these officers supplied him US$200,000 in alternate for a press release that will incriminate former Speaker Koffa in masterminding the Capitol hearth. “They informed me they wanted me to assist the federal government get Fonati Koffa. They supplied me 200 thousand {dollars}. However I informed them, ‘When you have proof, why do you want me to lie?’” Nyanti declared through the listening to.
Visibly agitated, Nyanti described the alleged bribery try as “a lie from the stomach of the satan,” insisting he wouldn’t falsely testify to convey down anybody beneath political orders. He mentioned he had initially believed the supply concerned witness safety and relocation for him and his household, however later realized it was an effort to safe false testimony.
Regardless of the explosive nature of his claims, Nyanti didn’t present documented proof of the alleged bribery try. As of publication, officers from the Liberia Nationwide Police (LNP) and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) have declined to answer the accusation, additional fueling public hypothesis in regards to the integrity of the prosecution’s case.
Nyanti’s allegations got here only a day after his household issued a public assertion questioning the circumstances surrounding his return from Ghana. Talking on behalf of the household, Madam Priscilla Nyanti, John’s sister, described the extradition as coercive and politically motivated. In accordance with her, Nyanti fled to Ghana shortly after the December incident out of worry for his life.
She mentioned he was lured again beneath false pretenses — particularly that he can be supplied immunity from prosecution, obtain US$50,000, and be relocated together with his household to a European nation of his selecting. Nonetheless, solely US$2,000 was reportedly paid, and not one of the relocation guarantees materialized.
What additional raised eyebrows, in accordance with Madam Nyanti, was the function performed by their cousin, Koffa Nyanti, whom she claims coordinated the negotiations with Liberian authorities. That very same cousin, she revealed, has since been rewarded with a high-level appointment as Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Particular Envoy for Commerce and Funding on the Ministry of Overseas Affairs — a transfer she labeled as “extremely suspicious” and indicative of political trade-offs.
“John was not returned voluntarily; he was coerced,” she informed reporters. “He was taken straight from the airport to the Way of life Lodge, stored beneath surveillance, and interrogated with out authorized counsel. It is a clear abuse of energy, and we’re deeply involved.”
On June 16, in accordance with Madam Nyanti, her brother was taken to LNP headquarters and offered with an in depth three-page questionnaire that prosecutors allegedly meant to make use of to border Speaker Koffa and different lawmakers. He refused to signal it, she mentioned, declaring his intent to show his innocence via authorized proceedings.
Authorized specialists and civil society teams have since known as for an impartial investigation into Nyanti’s claims. “If confirmed, these allegations of bribery, coercion, and witness tampering may severely undermine the integrity of the federal government’s case,” mentioned a distinguished Monrovia-based lawyer who requested to not be named. “It may additionally expose critical violations of due course of and elementary human rights.”
Others have warned that if the prosecution is discovered to have used monetary inducements or threats to compel testimony, your complete case towards the accused lawmakers may collapse.
“It’s not nearly this one suspect. The credibility of your complete investigation and the usage of state energy is at stake,” mentioned Tiawon Gongloe, a former presidential candidate and human rights lawyer.
The fireplace on the Capitol Constructing occurred within the early morning hours of December 18, 2024. Prosecutors allege that Nyanti and several other co-conspirators — together with people linked to Consultant Dixon Seboe — conspired to burn the Joint Chambers to stop legislative classes. Courtroom paperwork allege a fancy conspiracy involving money funds, transport logistics, and the distribution of gasoline bought for the arson.
Prosecutors say Nyanti performed a central function in coordinating the plan and acted as a intermediary between the alleged perpetrators and lawmakers suspected of being behind the operation. He’s additionally accused of receiving and distributing money to co-conspirators and destroying SIM playing cards to cowl up communication trails.
Nonetheless, Nyanti now claims that his alleged confession was extracted beneath stress and manipulation. He insists that most of the claims made towards him and others are false, and that the federal government is utilizing the court docket system to settle political scores.
Repeated efforts to achieve officers from the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Nationwide Police have yielded no remark. When contacted, LNP spokesperson Cecelia Clarke declined to talk on the matter, stating that she wanted clearance from senior officers.
The silence has solely fueled suspicions that the state is withholding crucial info from the general public, even because the case threatens to spiral right into a political disaster. Opposition events and rights teams have begun demanding a full and neutral probe, warning that failure to deal with the allegations may additional erode public belief within the justice system.
Nyanti stays in custody on the Monrovia Central Jail, awaiting the graduation of his trial. In the meantime, the court docket is anticipated to rule on a number of pretrial motions, together with a request by Nyanti’s authorized workforce for entry to all communication data between prosecutors and his alleged handlers.
