By Socrates Smythe Saywon
MONROVIA – The Capitol Arson trial involving defendant Thomas Etheridge and others has taken a dramatic turn as both the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) and the Civil Law Court confirmed that a US$6 million surety bond and accompanying tax documents were fraudulent. The revelations have intensified scrutiny on the case, which has already captured national attention due to its political and economic implications.
The controversy began when Lion Stationery Store, on March 31, 2025, filed a case for damages against Etheridge and co-defendants for wrongful attachment. A surety bond valued at US$6 million was filed by Patrick Coleman, the same guarantor linked to the Capitol Arson case. During hearings, Civil Law Court Judge Smith ruled that the bond was invalid, citing glaring irregularities. He noted that the receipts presented as evidence were issued in an outdated LRA format decommissioned in December 2023. Further, the bank teller who allegedly processed a payment of US$4,500 was identified as Konter Richard, a man no longer employed at the Central Bank of Liberia.
Judge Smith also highlighted discrepancies in the property valuation underpinning the bond. The property was listed at US$6 million, yet records in the LRA’s system confirmed its actual value at only US$1.5 million. He concluded that the documents were “suspiciously authored or doctored,” and added: “This court gives full faith and credit to the LRA’s testimony regarding the invalidity of the movant’s attachment bond.”
The fraudulent filings soon spilled over into the Capitol Arson case itself. On August 5, prosecutors petitioned Criminal Court ‘A’ Judge Roosevelt Willie to subpoena the Civil Law Court clerk for its ruling and minutes. The state also pressed the LRA to provide testimony and produce evidence relating to the documents. LRA Commissioner General James Dorbor responded that the requested records did not exist in the agency’s system.
Eight days later, Assistant Commissioner for Real Estate Tax James Afif Jabar appeared in open court to provide expert testimony. His findings were damning. He revealed that the Real Property Tax Bill and Statement of Property Valuation, which carried a purported value of US$2.8 million, were complete fabrications. He explained that the documents originated from an obsolete system, the tax calculations were grossly inflated, and the receipts presented were inconsistent with official LRA records.
One receipt, which defendants claimed proved a US$4,500 tax payment for 2025, was traced instead to a US$20 passport fee paid in 2009 by an unrelated individual. The document also cited a Central Bank employee who had not worked there since 2003. Jabar stressed that such irregularities were not merely clerical mistakes but pointed to deliberate attempts to mislead the court.
Despite objections from the defense, which argued that they had insufficient time for cross-examination and lacked rebuttal witnesses, the court ruled that Jabar’s testimony would remain part of the record for the Bill of Exceptions hearing.
The fraudulent bond and forged tax records have now emerged as central issues in the Capitol Arson trial. Legal analysts say the case has exposed deep weaknesses in Liberia’s property valuation, court bond, and tax verification systems, creating room for manipulation by unscrupulous actors. The implications go beyond Etheridge and his co-defendants, touching on broader questions of transparency and accountability in Liberia’s justice and financial institutions.
The Capitol Arson case, already politically charged, has thus become a test of the judiciary’s ability to confront fraud and safeguard due process. As investigations continue, attention is turning not only to the defendants but also to those behind the preparation and submission of the fraudulent documents.
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