The Government seeks to overturn the Judge’s ruling in the habeas corpus petition, which saw Thomas being released to his guarantor.
Monrovia, January 16, 2025/ The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Justice, has dragged Criminal Court “B” Judge Koboi Nuta before Chambers Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay, seeking to stop him from allowing Tom Ethridge, the alleged suspect in the Capitol Building fire, incident from seeing a private doctor.
The case involves a habeas corpus petition filed by lawyers representing Thomas, who had spent three days in detention. A habeas corpus petition is a writ requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a judge or into court, especially to secure the person’s release, unless lawful grounds are shown for their detention.
In ruling in the habeas corpus case on Monday, January 13, Judge Nuta released Thomas to his guarantor to enable him to seek medical attention and return him to the court.
However, in its petition before Chambers Justice Gbeisay, the state argued that Judge Koboi’s ruling went beyond the case before him.
According to the state, the judge had been duly informed that there was a writ of arrest for Thomas by the City of Monrovia and that Thomas was a flight risk. Yet, Judge Koboi elected to turn him over to a guarantor who is not neutral in the case.
It is against the background that the state has now filed a petition for a writ of prohibition against Judge Nuta and Thomas, something which has been interpreted as preventing the alleged suspect from seeing a private doctor.
Thomas Etheridge, a staff member of embattled House Speaker Fonati Koffa, was arrested on Friday, January 10, 2025, and taken to the Liberian National Police Headquarters for investigation in connection to the Capitol Building fire incident.
After three days in detention, his lawyers filed a habeas corpus petition before Judge Nuta, compelling the government to produce the living body of Thomas in court.
Thomas fell off after another writ of arrest was issued against him immediately following the judge’s ruling. He was held hands and feet by state security as he was being whisked away. He later became unconscious for some time on the premises of the court.
Thomas, speaking to his lawyers, detailed a troubling account of his interrogation by security personnel during his 3-days in detention.
Mr. Ethridge revealed multiple instances of alleged abuse, coercion, and fabrication. Etheridge’s statement sheds light on the troubling interrogation methods used to extract confessions that he claims were false and made under duress.
Etheridge describes being pressured to falsely admit involvement in the Capitol fire and other related activities. He highlights how security personnel manipulated his statements by presenting recordings taken out of context.
“They made a statement that indicted me saying I called people to the Boss Man house from the CDC headquarters,” Etheridge said, adding that when he refuted this claim, they cut off the recording.
Etheridge also recalls how the authorities linked him to the fire incident by associating him with others, including Eric Susee and Amos Kofa, who were supposedly involved in the protest.
“Then they said you were with Janga Kowo. You were calling Kowo and others to meet to your boss man place. I told them that the people who you are calling I don’t know them, only hear their names. I don’t go on CDC party headquarters. Then, they brought in another guy’s statement. I have already stayed there from 11 am to 3 pm in the underground place. They threatened to sodomize me if I do not give them what they want”, he tearfully explained.
He recalls an exchange regarding a fabricated statement where Eric Susee allegedly said he bought gas for the fire, a claim Eric later refuted, asserting that he was coerced into making the statement.
Etheridge claims that during his time in custody, security personnel used threats of violence and even physical abuse to coerce him into providing the answers they wanted. He describes how, after being subjected to physical abuse, he attempted to resist the fabricated narrative by providing his own version of events, which led to further beatings.
The Capitol Building fire occurred on December 18, 2024, when the Rotunda, the Joint Chambers of the Liberian Legislature, was gutted by a blaze. This devastating incident took place amidst ongoing political turmoil, particularly a power struggle between the majority bloc led by Representative Richard Nagbe Koon and embattled Speaker J. Fonati Koffa. The fire has been confirmed as an act of arson.
The fire occurred just a day after a protest at the Capitol, which led to the arrest of 73 individuals, including opposition figures and security personnel present at the time of the arson. Authorities have since named several individuals as persons of interest in connection with the attack.
On January 8, 2025, Police Inspector General Col. Gregory Coleman confirmed that the fire had been identified as an act of arson, with sufficient evidence gathered to support this conclusion. Investigations continue as authorities seek to bring those responsible to justice.
Etheridge, now speaking out about his treatment, emphasized his intention to reveal the coercion and mistreatment he endured during his detention, raising significant questions about the integrity of the ongoing investigation.
His claims underscore the broader issues surrounding handling the Capitol fire case and the potential for unjust treatment of suspects in high-profile cases. -Story by Othello B. Garblah
