Monrovia – Gbarpolu County Senator Amara Konneh has issued a robust rebuke of the Liberia Nationwide Police (LNP) over what he described because the extreme and politically charged remedy of former Home Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa and 4 sitting lawmakers, who’re accused in reference to the December 2024 Capitol Constructing hearth.
By Gerald C. Koinyeneh, [email protected]
In a press release revealed on his official Fb web page, Senator Konneh criticized the usage of closely armed officers to escort the lawmakers to jail, describing the optics as paying homage to Liberia’s authoritarian previous.
“The photographs of LNP officers wielding machine weapons as they escorted former Speaker Koffa and his colleagues to jail—vivid photographs of figures like Weh-Sehn, Neson Toe, and others being escorted by M-16 rifle-carrying AFL troopers—surfaced in my thoughts,” Konneh wrote.
He likened the lawmakers’ defiant gestures upon launch to historic resistance actions:
“Because the prisoners walked exterior the jail gate yesterday, they threw their fists within the air to cheering supporters, shouting Apartheid-era South African slogans—identical to different high-profile prisoners did within the Nineteen Eighties. It struck me all of the sudden that we appear to have realized nothing from our collective traumas. It feels as if all the pieces continues to be politicized.”
Senator Konneh, a former Minister of Finance and a revered voice within the Senate, warned that such militarized authorized proceedings involving elected officers threat eroding public belief within the justice system and tarnishing Liberia’s democratic credentials.
The case includes allegations linking Koffa and a number of other lawmakers to a hearth that severely broken sections of the Capitol Constructing late final yr. Protection legal professionals have moved to dismiss the fees, calling them politically motivated and missing credible proof.
In an in depth commentary titled “The Politics of the Bail System: What’s the Value for Freedom Earlier than Trial?”, Konneh argued that latest developments expose deep flaws in Liberia’s justice system—significantly the affect of politics on choices surrounding pre-trial detention.
“What transpired in Liberia’s justice system over the previous few days highlights a troubling fact: the destiny of defendants and their pre-trial freedom is dictated not by their guilt, innocence, and even the severity of their alleged crimes, however fairly by political affiliations,” Konneh wrote. “On this particular occasion, it was not the established authorized bail system that secured the discharge of the previous Speaker and his co-defendants; it was the load of political stress.”
Konneh famous that whereas the bail system and authorized devices such because the Ne Exeat Republica writ are supposed to handle flight dangers, their uneven software raises severe considerations.
“Why, I ponder, did the courtroom not uphold these mechanisms for justice for former Speaker Koffa and his co-defendants?” he requested.
Whereas calling for accountability within the Capitol arson case, Konneh emphasised that justice should be utilized evenly.
“We’re all craving for accountability concerning the Capitol’s burning—an act that attacked our very image of democracy. I wrote the letter demanding accountability, which led to a public listening to within the Senate late final week. But, we require that justice be meted out equitably, with out favoritism and political concentrating on.”
Quoting Thomas Jefferson, Konneh stated the expertise reminded him of the political turmoil of Liberia’s Nineteen Eighties, and he warned that true justice “can’t stay dormant” if the nation is to maneuver ahead.
He cited Article 66 of the Liberian Structure, which enshrines the presumption of innocence and ensures bail besides in capital or exceptionally grave offenses, whereas explicitly prohibiting extreme bail.
“Maybe now could be the time for the Legislature to revisit our Structure to fortify protections for accused individuals via an unequivocal dedication to the doctrine of ‘harmless till confirmed responsible,’” he concluded. “We should depend on our authorized consultants to information us in defending the integrity of our justice system and upholding the rights of the accused. A fairer, extra equitable authorized panorama is important for all.”
