MONROVIA – A Grand Jury in Montserrado County has indicted former Speaker of the House of Representatives, J. Fonati Koffa, along with 14 others, in connection with the December 18, 2024 fire that damaged the joint chambers of the Capitol Building. The indictment, filed before Criminal Court “A” under the authority of Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie, accuses the defendants of orchestrating and executing a violent plot to burn Liberia’s legislative seat of power.
Those named in the indictment include Kivi Bah alias “Kaba,” Jerry Pokah alias “Tyrese,” Stephen M. Broh, John Nyanti, Representative Dixon W. Seboe, Patience Bestman, Harrilyn Grace Johnson, Representative Abu B. Kamara, Representative Jacob C. Deebie, Christian Kofa, Amos Kofa, Eric Susay, Thomas Isaac Etheridge (alias “Tom”), and others yet to be identified. The charges range from arson and criminal attempt to commit murder to criminal conspiracy, solicitation, facilitation, and the release of destructive forces.
According to court documents, the defendants met on the night of December 17, 2024, at a used car parking lot across from CONEX Gas Station on Jallah Town Road. It was there, prosecutors say, they finalized plans to set fire to the Capitol Building the next morning. Defendant Kivi Bah reportedly documented the entire plan in a letter addressed to co-defendant Dixon W. Seboe, detailing how the group intentionally ignited the joint chambers, causing damage valued at approximately US$3.78 million. The indictment includes multiple audio recordings said to capture the defendants discussing their roles in the operation. In one recording, defendant Eric Susay is allegedly heard describing how they assaulted a police officer and seized his service weapon. In another, defendants Amos Kofa and Thomas Etheridge reportedly discussed using tear gas and chlorine to prevent lawmakers from entering the chambers for a scheduled session.
The recordings further implicate Etheridge, who allegedly instructed Amos Kofa to proceed to J. Fonati Koffa’s residence in Congo Town shortly after the fire was confirmed. Prosecutors also claim that defendants Harrilyn Grace Johnson and Patience Bestman, both affiliated with Koffa’s office, attempted to conceal evidence stored on Etheridge’s phone relating to the incident.
Authorities argue that none of the accused can mount a valid affirmative defense under Liberian law. The charges, brought under Chapter 10, Subsection 10.3 of the Penal Law, accuse the group of offenses against the peace and dignity of the Republic.
All of the defendants have been granted criminal appearance bonds. The City Court has since forwarded case materials to the First Judicial Circuit, Criminal Court “A,” where Judge Willie is expected to preside over the trial during the August Term of Court.
Meanwhile, the indictment of a former Speaker and sitting lawmakers in an alleged violent plot to destroy the country’s legislative building marks one of the most dramatic legal confrontations in Liberia’s postwar political era.
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