Monrovia-It appears that former Speaker of the House of Representatives,Cllr. J. Fornati Koffa is not off the hook yet in connection with Capitol Fire incident which is still being probed by the Liberia National Fire Service.
Koffa and five other Representatives are to face investigators of the LNP over the alleged roles in the fire incident which sprouted out of the leadership impasse that spanned about seven months.
Wanted along with the former Speaker are Representatives Frank Saah Foko, Abu B. Kamara, Dixon W. Seboe, Priscilla A. Cooper, J. Marvin Cole, and Jacob C. Debee. The concerned lawmakers were part of the minority bloc of the divided house that backed Koffa as the legitimate Speaker.
The police had earlier questioned Koffa and Foko but allowed them to go apparently due to lack of sufficient evidence to implicate them. But the latest invitation has raised eyebrows as to whether another piece of evidence has emerged and strong enough to warrant their appearance.
A release from the Hor Press Bureau confirmed the conference with the LNP.
“The House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee, alongside its legal team, is expected to escort at least seven lawmakers identified as persons of interest in the ongoing arson investigation into the Capitol Building fire incident,” the release of June 5, 2025 stated.
The meeting scheduled for 10:00 AM at LNP Headquartersquoted
Inspector General Gregory O. W. Coleman as emphasizing that the meeting is expected to mark the final phase of the investigation.
“The Judiciary Committee and legal experts will be present to ensure due process and provide necessary legal guidance throughout the proceedings,” the release said, and added the HoR “remains confident that the matter will be handled professionally, with further developments expected following Friday’s meeting.”
CDC SG early alert
The release that Koffa and others have been invited has confirmed Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) earlier alarm about plans being hatched by the government to arrest former House Speaker, Cllr. J. Fornati Koffa today.
Early Thursday, Koijee via social media alleged “we have received intelligence that the murderous Boakai-Koung regime is planning the arrest of Hon. Speaker, Cllr. Koffa tomorrow at 10am.”
Rather than spewing that an attempt to do so will be stiffly resisted, his alert about government harboring plans to arrest Cllr. Koffa was short of proffering details as per the reasons.
“Let it be known, any attempt to arrest the Speaker will be met with stiff and uncompromising resistance,” Koijee voiced, while also stressed that “the people will not sit idle while this tyrannical regime weaponizes state power against its opponents.
What could be the reasons if it is true?
Though the CDC SG did not proffer any reasons the government would want to arrest the former Speaker, the information comes weeks after Koffa resigned as Speaker of the House of Representatives, bringing to an end seven months of leadership quagmire that critically impacted the entire government operations.
Also, Koijee’s alert about plans to arrest Koffa followed an inquiry launched by the Liberian Senate with government security elites over the delayed report on the Capitol Building fire disaster.
The Senate’s probe was spurred by Senator Amara Konneh(Gbarpolu County) expression of concerns relative to the status of the report of the fire incident that left the entire Joint Chambers of the Building completely ruined.
Senator Konneh had informed his colleagues about embarrassment faced during their constituency break when citizens raised concerns about the fire incident and outcome of the investigation.
He said “Unfortunately, we could not say anything because we haven’t been told about the outcome.”
At Tuesday face-to-face engagement with Senators, Justice Minister Cllr. N. Onward Tweh, Solicitor General Cllr. Augustine Fayiah, Police Inspector General Gregory O. W. Coleman, and Fire Service Director Warsuwah G. Barvoul gave reasons for the delay.
The invited security officials did not provide a timeline for releasing the full investigative report on the Capitol Building fire. They rather cited the ongoing nature of the probe and related court proceedings.
Justice Minister Cllr. Oswald Tweh told Senators that the case was still under investigation, and that a final report could not be presented due to the complexity of the case.
Minister Tweh indicated that “investigation is advanced, and we are being meticulous to ensure that justice is served.”
He added that the prosecution arm of the Ministry of Justice was conducting a thorough investigation in conjunction with the Liberia National Police and Liberia National Fire Service, warning that releasing specific details could compromise the case.
He reminded Senators that some individuals had been charged and are in custody, while others remain under investigation.
For his part, Solicitor General Fayiah told Senators that three arrested suspects are in detention, while one remains at large, adding that “Charges range from arson to other related crimes.”
According to him, the investigation is not yet complete, and that they could not give details that could interfere with proceedings before the court.
Police Director Gregory Coleman also underscored the sensitive nature of the case as a matter of national priority that goes to the heart of state’s integrity and law enforcement.
He said “We are in the concluding stage of the investigation, we cannot commit to a specific timeline, but we promise to finalize it as soon as possible.”
