Monrovia, Liberia – Following months of legal back and forth that saw the case move from the Monrovia City Court to Criminal Court A and briefly to the Supreme Court, former House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa, Representatives Jacob Debee, Abu B. Kamara, and Dixon Seboe, along with several co-defendants, have filed not guilty pleas to a number of criminal charges.
Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie of Criminal Court “A” accepted the plea in public on Monday, November 17, 2025. Thomas Etheridge, Eric Susay, Kivi Bah, Stephen Broh, John Nyanti, and Jerry Pokah are among the defendants who are charged with a variety of offenses, including arson, attempted murder, criminal conspiracy, solicitation, aggravated assault, and property theft. A Montserrado County special grand jury issued a true bill on June 16, 2025, which led to the indictment.
Prosecution is anticipated to begin producing witnesses soon, while unsubstantiated sources say the lawmakers may seek a change of venue owing to apparent disagreement with Judge Willie.The case had a contentious preliminary test before the Monrovia City Court before proceeding to Criminal Court A. Magistrate Ben L. Barco made a decision based on social media evidence that the prosecution frequently referred to as “open source.” Defense attorneys questioned the material’s authenticity and source, claiming it lacked geographical information and identification.
In light of these uncertainties, Magistrate Barco ordered the case to be sent to Criminal Court A after concluding that the prosecution had established a prima facie case, which just requires a reasonable suspicion that the defendants may have committed the accused acts. Citing prior Supreme Court decisions, such as RL v. Chakpadeh (1988) and Section 12.2 of the Criminal Procedure Law, Barco stressed in his decision that the burden of proof at trial is significantly higher than the threshold for probable cause.
Prosecutors called two witnesses from the Liberia National Police Crime Services Investigation Department at the preliminary hearings, but they were unable to verify the social media evidence that was the foundation of their case. The magistrate decided that the prosecution had satisfied the minimal requirements to go to trial despite the evidence issues, which prompted defense challenges and following legal actions that momentarily brought the case to the Supreme Court.
Now that the defendants filed their plea, the state is expected to begin presenting its case in Judge Willie’s courtroom. It is yet unclear if the defense will formally request a change of venue. One of the most highly charged criminal cases in recent memory concerns a number of current and former lawmakers who are suspected of plotting an attack on the Legislature’s offices.
Credit: Garmah Lomo
