Monrovia – Attorneys representing former Home Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa and 4 sitting lawmakers have filed a movement on the Monrovia Metropolis Court docket requesting the dismissal of all expenses associated to the December 18, 2024, fireplace that gutted components of the Capitol Constructing.
By Willie N. Tokpah
The protection movement, submitted on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, argues that state prosecutors have did not current any bodily, forensic, or direct proof linking the accused to the arson assault that broken the joint chambers of the Liberian Legislature and disrupted legislative features for a number of weeks.
Lead protection lawyer Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi described the case as missing in substance, saying the state is counting on assumptions and associations moderately than admissible proof.
“There isn’t a video, no eyewitness, no forensic proof putting our shoppers on the scene or implicating them in any prison planning,” Massaquoi argued in courtroom. “The state is making an attempt to stretch phrases and private associations into prison conduct, which the legislation doesn’t allow.”
The prosecution’s case reportedly hinges on recorded conversations and an alleged remark by Koffa referring to a suspect as “his boy.” Protection legal professionals insisted that this isn’t ample to ascertain prison intent or involvement.
“It is a trial by implication, not by proof,” Massaquoi mentioned. “And in a courtroom of legislation, suspicion shouldn’t be an alternative to proof.”
Charged alongside Cllr. Koffa are Representatives Dixon Seboe (Montserrado District 16), Abu Bana Kamara (Montserrado, District 15), Jacob C. Debee II (Grand Gedeh District 3), and Prescilla Cooper (Margibi District #6).
They face a number of counts together with Arson, Legal Mischief, Legal Facilitation, Tried Homicide, and Legal Conspiracy.
Talking outdoors the courtroom, Cllr. Koffa firmly denied any wrongdoing and described the costs as politically motivated.
“Solely these selecting to disregard the information would hyperlink me or any of my colleagues to this crime,” he mentioned. “The federal government will lose this case. The proof is speculative at finest, and the judiciary will see via the charade.”
Koffa additionally refuted efforts to attach his previous social media posts to the incident, calling the linkage “baseless” and with out authorized advantage.
Consultant Debee equally pushed again in opposition to the costs, saying he was unjustly detained for being in a car the place a dialog occurred—one he claims to have had no information of.
“They locked me up primarily based on an assumption,” Rep. Debee mentioned. “We won’t let this slide. We’re taking authorized motion in opposition to the federal government for wrongful detention.”
Consultant Kamara added, “Even when a dialog befell in my official car, that doesn’t make me responsible. These expenses are pure fiction.”
Solely Consultant Cooper waived her proper to a preliminary listening to. The others have been arraigned and briefly detained on June 9, earlier than being launched on bail.
Authorized specialists and political analysts have raised issues over what they describe because the unusually speedy tempo of the investigation and the prosecution’s obvious lack of concrete proof. Many consider the case could also be pushed extra by political issues than authorized advantage.
“It is a politically delicate case,” one authorized analyst instructed FrontPage Africa. “Speeding to indict with out credible proof solely undermines public belief within the authorized course of.”
A courtroom ruling in favor of the protection would successfully halt proceedings earlier than trial. Nevertheless, if the movement is denied, the case might proceed to full trial, additional intensifying political debate and scrutiny.
The fireplace on the Capitol Constructing erupted amid tense political disagreements surrounding legislative management roles and nationwide price range discussions. The blaze destroyed vital infrastructure utilized by each the Senate and Home of Representatives and drew swift condemnation from civil society and the general public.
Within the aftermath, the federal government launched an aggressive investigation. Inside weeks, prosecutors had zeroed in on a number of lawmakers, together with senior political figures, fueling allegations that the case was getting used as a software for political retribution.
Regardless of the costs, all 5 lawmakers keep their innocence and say they’re ready to defend their reputations and return to public service.
Decide Ben Barco is predicted to make a ruling on the movement to dismiss within the coming weeks. A call in favor of the protection wouldn’t solely clear the accused lawmakers however might additionally elevate important questions on prosecutorial conduct in politically delicate circumstances.
