Opposition Blocs Brand Arrests of Lawmakers “Embarrassing Abuse of Power,” While Police Cite “Overwhelming Evidence.”
By Jerromie Walters & Kebeh Sammie
Monrovia, 9 June 2025: A widening political storm has engulfed Liberia after four sitting lawmakers – including immediate-past Speaker J. Fonati Koffa – spent the weekend behind bars on allegations that they masterminded last year’s twin fires at the Capitol Building.
Charged under Chapter 10 of the Revised Penal Code, Koffa faces counts of criminal conspiracy, criminal facilitation and arson. His co-defendants – Representatives Dixon W. Seboe (Montserrado-16), Abu Kamara (Montserrado-15) and Jacob Debee II (Grand Gedeh-3) – are accused of conspiring to commit arson. All four were transferred from Liberia National Police (LNP) headquarters on Saturday to Monrovia Central Prison, where they remained on Monday awaiting their first appearance before Criminal Court “A”.
POLICE SAY CASE IS “IRONCLAD”
Presenting a 34-page investigative report on Saturday, Inspector-General Gregory O. Coleman claimed “overwhelming physical and testimonial evidence” links the lawmakers to two attacks: a 10 November 2024 vandalism that damaged the House chamber and a 18 December conflagration that gutted the Joint Chambers.
Key to the prosecution’s narrative is Thomas Isaac “Tom” Etheridge, chief of maintenance in Koffa’s former Speaker’s office. Etheridge and three alleged accomplices – Capitol worker Steven Broh, political activist Eric Susay, and New Kru Town resident Jerry “Tyrese” Pokah – were indicted for arson, attempted murder and other felonies. Investigators contend the plot was hatched while an intra-House faction sought Koffa’s removal from the speakership.
OPPOSITION CRIES FOUL
The detentions have provoked rare unanimity across Liberia’s fragmented opposition spectrum.
• Alexander B. Cummings, political leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), called the arrests “shameful and embarrassing” during a Saturday press briefing. “Legislators possess constitutional immunity,” he argued. “They are not flight risks; jailing them before arraignment is unacceptable.”
• Four parties – ANC, Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE) and Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) – issued a joint demand for the lawmakers’ “immediate and unconditional release,” labelling the episode “a dangerous politicisation of justice.”
• Ms. Telia Urey, Vice-Chair for Political Affairs of the All Liberian Party (ALP), decried “arbitrary arrest and politically motivated targeting.”
• Former Vice-President Jewel Howard-Taylor, speaking after visiting the defendants in prison on Sunday, urged authorities to “let the rule of law take its natural course,” subtly warning against procedural shortcuts.
The Liberty Party and Grand Kru Legislative Caucus have also released statements of solidarity, the latter describing Koffa – a Grand Kru native – as “a son of the soil under siege.”
LEGAL AND POLITICAL FLASHPOINTS
1. Legislative immunity
Article 42 of the Liberian Constitution grants lawmakers protection “for words spoken or written” and from arrest “while attending, going to, or returning from session,” except for treason, felony or breach of the peace. Prosecutors insist arson is a felony, thus immunity does not attach. Critics counter that the arrests occurred while the House is in recess and that due-process norms still require a writ of arrest signed by a judge – not an overnight police hold.
2. Timing of the detention
The lawmakers were picked up late Friday afternoon, leaving no court in session to consider bail until Monday. Opposition figures say the maneuver mirrors tactics used by past authoritarian regimes to punish critics over a weekend “cooling-off” period. Police maintain the timing was dictated by completion of the investigative report, not political calculus.
3. Evidentiary controversy
No independent forensic audit of the December fire has been released. Defense lawyers claim video evidence exonerates the defendants and accuse police of coercing statements from junior Capitol staff. The LNP counters that surveillance footage, call-detail records and confessed co-conspirators place the lawmakers at the center of a “command-and-control cell.”
POSSIBLE SCENARIOS
• Bail hearing: Under the Criminal Procedure Law, arson is bailable at the discretion of the court. If Judge Roosevelt Willie grants bond this week, the immediate political temperature could fall, though prosecutors may appeal.
• International attention: ECOWAS and the U.S. Embassy have quietly urged “strict adherence to due process,” diplomatic sources tell this paper.
ANALYSIS – A TEST OF LIBERIA’S DEMOCRATIC RESILIENCE
Since the end of civil war in 2003, Liberia has struggled to balance accountability with political inclusion. The Unity Party (UP) administration rode to power in 2023 promising a break from the alleged impunity of the Weah era; today it is accused of weaponising the same justice system.
If the evidence against the lawmakers is compelling and the trial transparent, the case could bolster Liberia’s institutions by showing no one is above the law. If, however, procedural corners are cut or bail is denied on spurious grounds, the perception of a politically choreographed prosecution may deepen polarisation and invite street protests.
The episode also underscores the fragility of legislative independence: a sitting government that can detain members of the House without immediate judicial oversight risks eroding the separation of powers.
WHAT TO WATCH
• Monday’s arraignment outcome and any subsequent bail ruling.
• Release – or publication – of full forensic and surveillance evidence.
• Whether the opposition front maintains unity or fractures along partisan lines.
• Potential civil society or international mediation to de-escalate tensions.
For now, Liberia holds its breath as courtroom procedure collides with political brinkmanship, each side convinced the fate of the republic hangs in the balance.
