-Over Alleged Political Bias In Capitol Arson Case
In the ongoing Capitol arson and attempted murder case involving former House Speaker, Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa and fellow opposition lawmakers versus the Government through the Ministry of Justice, the Monrovia Criminal Court “A” on Wednesday rejected a forceful attempt by state prosecutors to disqualify a seated juror whom they accused of political bias in favor of one of the defendants.
The ruling which came during the fifteenth day jury sitting of the November Term of Court, presided over by His Honour Roosevelt Z. Willie. originated from the prosecutors pressing the Court to remove Juror J30-9819 on grounds that she appeared in photographs allegedly captured during a political campaign for defendant Abu Kamara.
The state lawyers submitted two sheets of photographs, said to have been sourced from social media, showing women believed to be CDC partisans participating in a campaign event. The Prosecution alleged that one of the women as the sitting juror, arguing that her continued service threatened the fairness of the proceedings.
However, defense lawyers disputed the evidence, describing the photos as “flying sheets,” unauthenticated and unsupported by any witness testimony. They maintained that the State had provided no credible link between the juror and the images and insisted that even if the juror were a political partisan, the Constitution protects a citizen’s right to such affiliation. The Defense therefore urged the Court to reject the State’s application outright.
Faced with the conflicting representations, Judge Willie ordered Juror J30-9819 to personally examine the photographs. In response to the Court’s direct questioning, the juror stated that she was not in any of the photos, clarifying that the woman identified by the Prosecution was her mother.
In delivering his ruling, Judge Willie emphasized that the Prosecution had failed to prove the authenticity of the photographs or to establish any connection between the juror and the campaign event. He noted that the pictures did not match the juror’s image on official jury records and that, given modern digital methods, such images could easily be manipulated. The Court held that the State had not demonstrated that the juror was biased or conflicted and therefore denied the application to have her removed from the panel.
The Court proceeded with the trial, swearing in the jurors and appointing Dickson T. Yarsiah, Jr. as Foreman and Audray Clinton as Secretary. The indictment was read to the jury without objection, and the Court scheduled the continuation of the trial for Monday, December 1, 2025, at 9:15 a.m.
Before adjournment, the Court took additional steps to protect the integrity of the judicial process, ordering writs of contempt against two individuals identified as bloggers—Satiah A. Satiah and Benjamin Junior. According to the Court, Satiah sought favors from the Jury Management office, while Junior published claims accusing the Court, through the Supreme Court, of selecting Unity Party partisans for the jury. Both individuals were ordered to appear before the Court on Friday, November 28, 2025.
With jurors now sworn and the indictment formally placed before them, the Capitol arson trial moves forward amid heightened scrutiny, firm objections from the State, and the Court’s assertive stance on maintaining control of the proceedings.
