Legal proceedings in the Capitol Building arson case took an unexpected turn over the weekend at Criminal Court ‘A’, as the release of key suspect Thomas Etheridge, a key suspect in the Capitol Building arson case, and other co-defendants was delayed due to issues surrounding a defective property valuation bond.
The bond, intended to secure Etheridge and his associates, was found to be deficient as the property in question, located in Virginia, was in arrears of US$10,500 despite a Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) real estate receipt of US$4,500 being attached to it.
“The contention property is situated in Virginia, Tire Shop Community, adjacent to one James Momo residence. After carefully reviewing the bond, it was when the prosecutors realized that the property was in an arrear of US$10,500, although the defense lawyers had secretly attached a Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) real estate receipt of US$4,500, to the property,” a judicial source told this reporter.
The prosecution raised concerns about the sufficiency of the bond, citing legal requirements and national security considerations. They emphasized that the property used as collateral must be unencumbered and free of outstanding taxes, yet the arrears on the property in question raised significant doubts about the validity of the bond.
“Defendants’ sureties tax payments receipt of US$4,500 for their property lying and situated in Virginia, Tire Shop Community Adjacent Honorable James Momo, which they attached to their bond is insufficient for your Honor to grant said bond,” the prosecution argued.
What is more alarming is that Judge Roosevelt Willie had initially approved the bond, while waiting to see whether the prosecution would challenge it, which they did. It was due to the embarrassing circumstances that the defense lawyers immediately asked for the withdrawal of the bond. Their decision now prolonged detention of Etheridge and other defendants. However, Etheridge had been in detention for over six months, after he was arrested in January of this year.
Additionally, the valuation report on the property, provided by Caesar Architects Inc in 2013, was not notarized and failed to account for the property’s depreciation rate. The prosecution argued that the report lacked proper authorization by a court of record, making it unsuitable as security for the bail bond.
The prosecution also argued that the real estate tax demand notice from the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), shows that as of January 30, 2025, this identical property proffered for the purpose of obtaining this bail bond is in arrears to the government in the amount of US$10,500.
“Therefore,” they pled, “Your Honor should set this bond aside because our law says that the property must be an unencumbered real property on which the taxes have been paid and which is held in fee by the person furnishings the bond,”
“Moreover, the property valuation was never sanctioned by a court of record and therefore cannot be used as a security for the fulfilling of the conditions of obtaining the said bail bond,” the prosecution added
This revelation prompted a request from the defense lawyers to withdraw the bond, resulting in the continued detention of Etheridge and his co-defendants. The legal proceedings surrounding the sufficiency of the bond and property valuation have added complexity to the case, highlighting the importance of meeting legal requirements in such matters.
