By Lincoln G. Peters
MONROVIA, July 23, 2026 — Supreme Court Associate Justice Yussif D. Kaba has ordered the conditional release of former Executive Mansion Chief of Protocol Nora Finda Bundoo from the Monrovia Central Prison pending a conference over her challenge to US$8 million criminal appearance bond.
Bundoo was released into custody of her lawyers Wednesday after spending one night in prison. She was required to surrender her passport to the sheriff of Criminal Court “C” while the matter remains before the justice in chambers.
The order followed Bundoo’s petition for a writ of prohibition seeking to halt the enforcement of a ruling by Criminal Court “C” Judge Ousman F. Feika.
According to a communication from the Office of the Supreme Court Clerk, Justice Kaba cited Feika and the other respondents to a conference scheduled for August 4, 2026, at 3 p.m.
The petition names Feika as the first respondent. The Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force, represented by its chairman, Cllr. Edwin K. Martin, and the Ministry of Justice are named as the other respondents.
Justice Kaba directed Feika to release Bundoo to her lawyers, Cllr. M. Watkins Wright and Cllr. Abraham Wade Simpson, pending the outcome of the conference.
Hundreds of women gathered outside the Monrovia Central Prison as Bundoo’s lawyers processed her release. The supporters sang gospel songs, prayed and proclaimed her innocence.
Justice’s intervention temporarily suspends Bundoo’s detention but does not dispose of the criminal charges or determine the validity of the US$8 million bond.
Judge Feika ordered Bundoo imprisoned on July 21 after rejecting her second criminal appearance bond and setting a new bond at US$8 million.
Bundoo is among more than 48 defendants indicted in a corruption case involving the alleged diversion and laundering of public funds. She faces charges including money laundering, theft of property, misuse of public money, criminal conspiracy, forgery and criminal facilitation.
The charges remain allegations, and Bundoo has not been convicted.
According to her petition, Bundoo was receiving medical treatment outside Liberia when a grand jury returned the indictment on November 5, 2025. She returned voluntarily on June 9, 2026, appeared before Criminal Court “C,” accepted the arrest writ and indictment, and submitted to the court’s jurisdiction.
Her lawyers argue that her voluntary return and cooperation show she is not a flight risk.
Court records indicate that Feika rejected Bundoo’s first bond after determining that Simpson could not serve simultaneously as her lawyer and surety. Another proposed surety, Fallah Fallabou, was also a defendant in the case.
Feika gave Bundoo 72 hours to file a new bond. She subsequently submitted one backed by Cllr. John Moses Gbetee and Kai Garlo Farley, but prosecutors challenged its sufficiency.
The prosecution argued that Gbetee’s property had already secured several other criminal bonds and that Bundoo’s bond should correspond with the amount she allegedly misappropriated.
Feika agreed, finding that Gbetee’s property, valued at approximately US$350,000, was already tied to bonds totaling more than US$2 million. He rejected the proposed security, set the bond at US$8 million and ordered Bundoo detained if she could not satisfy the requirement.
In her Supreme Court petition, Bundoo argues that Feika violated the Civil Procedure Law by failing to give her another 72 hours to replace or supplement the rejected bond before ordering her imprisonment.
Her lawyers also contend that the US$8 million requirement violates Article 21 of the Liberian Constitution, which prohibits excessive bail.
The defense argues that an appearance bond is intended to ensure a defendant attends court proceedings, not to reimburse the government for alleged financial losses.
Bundoo’s lawyers further contend that imposing an US$8 million bond on her, while other defendants have secured their release on separate bonds, constitutes unequal and excessive treatment.
The petition states that Bundoo voluntarily reported to Monrovia Central Prison after learning about the arrest order, contacted the court sheriff and waited to be formally placed in custody. Her lawyers cite those actions as further evidence of her willingness to cooperate with the judicial process.
