Monrovia, Liberia – Embattled House Speaker Cllr. J. Folita has questioned why key players, including Representative Richard Koon, have not been called in for questioning and has called for the Liberia national police investigators to carry out a more comprehensive investigation into the Capitol Building fire that happened on December 18, 2024. Cllr. Koffa stressed that crucial elements of the inquiry are still being missed in a tense two-hour interview at the Liberia National Police headquarters.
Koffa told reporters, “I am happy to have been cleared of any wrongdoing, and I felt it was my responsibility to cooperate fully with the authorities. Nonetheless, I do think that several crucial aspects of the inquiry require further focus. However, it appears that Koon and the other witnesses have not received enough consideration in the inquiry. I think this is an important aspect that shouldn’t be missed. I don’t want to jump to conclusions or make snap accusations, but there are still certain parts of the picture that require investigation.”
The primary issues of the lawmaker interrogation were his social media post on the contentious issue and the claimed role of his employees in the arson attack. Investigators also asked him about any connections between the suspects in the case and Representatives Dixon Seboe, Abu Kamara, Frank Saah Foko, and Marvin J. Cole.
The conclusions of the Liberian National Fire Service and the police were supported by a report from a U.S. fire investigator, but Cllr. Koffa rejected the findings, claiming that the investigation lacked credibility. He declared, “since the investigation was conducted on the basis of friendship, I don’t trust the police investigators, and I don’t trust that report.”
In collaboration with U.S. fire investigators, the specialists from the United States acknowledged that the event was, in fact, an arson assault. However, they pointed out that the Liberian Fire Service does not have the full capacity and training to carry out investigation in such circumstance.
Cllr. Koffa and other legislators are not expected to be charged, despite the fact that police have detained and imprisoned four persons in relation to the arson. Though no date has been established for his next appearance, he did affirm that his involvement with investigators is still ongoing.
A huge display of force greeted him when he arrived at the police headquarters. Every corner was guarded by armed police while cllr. Koffa’s followers, many of whom were wearing CDC colors, yelled their war cries. Security guards watched the troubled speaker as he made his way into the property with his legal team and top party members at his sides, a clear sign of the political gravity of the situation.
