-in Capitol Arson Case
By Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia – The Monrovia City Court has barred former House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and four fellow lawmakers from leaving Liberia as they face prosecution for their alleged roles in the December 2024 Capitol Building inferno that crippled the seat of the legislature.
In a weekend ruling, Stipendiary Magistrate Ben Barco granted prosecutors’ request for a Writ of Ne Exeat Republica, freezing international travel for Koffa and co-defendants Abu Bana Kamara, Dixon Wlawlee Seboe, Jacob C. Debee, and Priscilla A. Cooper. Security agencies were ordered to intercept any attempt by the accused to flee via land, sea, or air borders.
The decision compounds the legal crisis for the lawmakers, who were remanded to Monrovia Central Prison just 24 hours earlier on charges including arson, criminal conspiracy, and criminal facilitation—felonies carrying severe penalties under Liberia’s Revised Penal Code.
From Legislative Halls to Jail Cells
The case stems from the pre-dawn December 18, 2024 blaze that ravaged the Capitol, requiring hours of firefighting to contain. President Joseph Boakai, surveying the damage, vowed accountability: “People bent on destroying this country will be dealt with.”
By January, forensic experts concluded the fire was intentionally set, with police citing traces of accelerants and “suspicious burn patterns.” Investigators later named Koffa’s chief of maintenance, Thomas Isaac Etheridge, as a key suspect, alleging he orchestrated the attack with accomplices, including Capitol staffer Steven Broh and New Kru Town resident Jerry Pokah.
Critics have slammed the prosecution’s tactics, noting lawmakers were lured to police headquarters Friday morning but only formally charged at 5 PM—after courts closed, guaranteeing weekend detention.
Opposition leaders like Senator Augustine Chea
decried selective justice, while All Liberian Party’s Telia Urey accused the government of targeting political rivals. Legal analysts question whether evidence directly ties the legislators to the arson, rather than their staff.
