Monrovia, Liberia – Liberia’s former House Speaker, Jonathan Fonati Koffa, and three other members of the House of Representatives have been released from prison after posting a bond of £325,000 ($440,000).
Mr. Koffa, along with Abu Kamara, Dixon Seboe, and Jacob Debee, faces multiple charges, including arson, criminal mischief, and attempted murder, in connection with their alleged roles in the burning of the Capitol building last December.
The devastating blaze erupted at the parliament building a day after plans to remove Mr. Koffa as speaker sparked protests in the capital, Monrovia. Police estimate the damage caused by the fire to be $8.6m.
On Friday, Liberian police stated there were “credible links” suggesting Mr. Koffa was “strategically involved” in the incident. Mr. Koffa has consistently denied any connection to the fire.
Lawmakers Kamara, Seboe, and Debee – all members of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party – were detained alongside Mr. Koffa on Friday. They spent a night at the national police headquarters before being transferred to the Monrovia Central Prison on Saturday, where they were held for two nights.
Representative Priscilla Cooper has also been charged in connection with the case but was not detained due to ill-health. The court has imposed a travel ban on all the accused individuals pending the conclusion of the legal proceedings.
The fire on 18 December last year destroyed the entire joint chambers of the West African nation’s legislature. Fortunately, no one was inside the building at the time.
The day prior to the blaze had seen tense protests over the efforts to remove Mr. Koffa, with demonstrators, including an aide to former President George Weah, being arrested. Several individuals, including Mr. Koffa and Representative Frank Saah Foko, were brought in for police questioning at the time. Mr. Foko, a prominent figure in the House, allegedly uploaded a video to Facebook in which he stated: “If they want us to burn the chambers, we will burn it.”
Liberia’s House of Representatives has been plagued by a protracted power struggle. Mr. Koffa had been embroiled in a stand-off with his political opponents, with dozens of lawmakers voting for his impeachment last October over accusations of poor governance, corruption, and conflicts of interest. Although the impeachment bid failed to secure the required two-thirds majority, the group of 47 lawmakers who supported the move unilaterally appointed their own speaker. Last month, Mr. Koffa resigned as speaker after months of political deadlock.
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