- in Capitol Fire Case
By Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia, June 9, 2025 – Former House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and four other lawmakers charged in connection with the December 2024 Capitol Building fire were temporarily released from the Monrovia Central Prison on Monday after posting a US$440,000 bond.
A jubilant crowd of Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) supporters gathered outside the prison, celebrating the lawmakers’ release following their remand on Saturday. The decision came after Monrovia City Court Stipendiary Magistrate Ben Barco approved the bond Monday morning, transferring custody of the defendants to their legal team.
The five legislators—Koffa, Montserrado County Reps. Abu Bana Kamara (District 15), Dixon Wlawlee Seboe (District 16), Priscilla Cooper (District 5), and Grand Gedeh County Rep. Jacob C. Debee (District 3)—face charges including arson, conspiracy, criminal facilitation, and attempted murder.
Authorities allege the December 18, 2024 fire, which caused an estimated $8.6 million in damages, was a premeditated attack to sabotage Liberia’s legislature amid internal disputes. The blaze destroyed critical infrastructure, including legislative archives, IT systems, and voting equipment, paralyzing government operations for weeks.
The earlier court imposed a travel ban on all defendants, issuing a Writ of Ne Exeat Republica to prevent them from leaving Liberia. Security agencies have been directed to intercept any attempted flight.
Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman described the fire as a “deliberate and treasonous act” aimed at destabilizing Liberia’s democracy. Investigators traced the plot to November 2024, when Thomas Etheridge, then-chief of maintenance under Koffa, allegedly accessed restricted Capitol offices.
