Court decides Koffa and others’ bond today 

The Monrovia City Court, under Judge L. Ben Bacon, will today decide the fate of the bond recently filed by former Speaker Fonati Koffa and his three colleagues in the Capitol Building arson case.

By Lincoln G. Peters 

Monrovia, Liberia; June 26, 2026 –The Presiding Magistrate of the Monrovia City Court, L. Ben Bacon, is expected to decide today, June 26, 2025, former Speaker Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa and three of his colleagues’ bond filed before the court in the Capitol Building’s arson trial. 

On Tuesday, Magistrate Bacon, after listening to both sides’ heated arguments, reserved his ruling and announced that a final decision on the bond’s validity will be delivered by midday today, Thursday, June 26, in the arson case involving former Speaker Koffa and three of his colleagues.

The Capitol Building arson case continues to generate widespread attention, not only due to the high-profile defendants involved but also the legal back-and-forth over bond sufficiency. The outcome of today’s ruling could determine whether the lawmakers remain free or are ordered back into custody, pending trial.

The Monrovia City Court on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, heard evidence in the much-anticipated bond justification proceedings, involving former Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and Representatives Dixon W. Seboe, Abu B. Kamara, and Jacob C. Debee, following a mandate from Criminal Court “A” to determine the sufficiency of their US$2.24 million bail.

The hearing followed the Monrovia City Court’s order issued on Monday, June 23, for the former Speaker and his Co-defendants to justify the validity of their US$2.24 million bond or face immediate rearrest.

“The defendants are hereby ordered to produce their sureties to justify their bond… Otherwise, the bond will be set aside and the defendants will be rearrested, consistent with our statute,” Magistrate Barco declared in open court.

Representative Koffa presented his daughter, Ms. Jonda Janet Koffa, the General Manager at United Command Inc., and Marjan Mona Koffa, as sureties with a US$1.8 million property bond.

Initially, Koffa and Co-defendants were released from the Monrovia Central Prison on June 9, 2025, after filing a combined bail package comprising a US$440,000 criminal appearance bond, backed by sureties Jonda Janet Koffa and Marjan Mona Koffa, and a US$1.8 million property bond. The City Court accepted the bond and released the lawmakers without a formal hearing on its adequacy, prompting the prosecution to challenge its legitimacy.

But the prosecutors filed exceptions to the bond, claiming it was insufficient and questioning the legitimacy of the sureties. However, instead of hearing arguments, the City Court transferred the matter to Criminal Court “A,” which has now remanded the case back to Magistrate Barco for determination

Meanwhile, during the surety hearing, Magistrate Barco granted the defense’s motion to proceed with the qualification of sureties listed in the original bond.

The court immediately qualified the first witness, Ms. Jonda Janet Koffa, who appeared on the stand and testified under oath. She identified herself as the General Manager at United Command Inc., residing in Sinkor’s 7th Street community. Ms. Koffa confirmed that she served as one of the sureties and disclosed that she is the elder sister of co-surety Marjan Mona Koffa.

During her testimony, Ms. Koffa also confirmed that she is personally acquainted with all four defendants, establishing a direct connection with the parties she is guaranteeing.

After her testimony, the defense moved that both oral and documentary evidence presented during the justification be admitted into the court record. The court granted the request and officially marked the evidence as part of the proceedings.

Following the presentation of evidence, the court permitted both prosecution and defense to deliver their legal arguments, allotting thirteen minutes to each side. The defense referenced several sections of the Civil Procedure Law of Liberia, including Chapters 25 and 63, and cited relevant legal precedents to support the legitimacy of the bond.

Prosecutors, however, sharply contested the sufficiency of the bail. They invoked Civil Procedure Law Sections 63.1, 63.2, and 63.6 and cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in Griffith v. Wadan, 35 LLR. The state argued that the sureties presented were inadequate, claiming the criminal appearance bond is “bogus and worthless.”

“The hearing today clearly shows that the defendants failed flatly and miserably to justify the ill-fated and frivolous criminal appearance bond,” prosecutors said, urging the court to set it aside and order the immediate rearrest of the accused lawmakers.

In their final statement, defense counsel reminded the court of the Supreme Court’s opinion in Jimmy Sumo, 37 LLR, stressing the constitutional rights of the accused and calling on the court to uphold the bond already accepted and release them from further scrutiny.

Magistrate Barco, after listening to both sides, reserved his ruling and announced that a final decision on the bond’s validity will be delivered by midday today, Thursday, June 26.

The Capitol Building’s arson case continues to generate widespread attention, not only due to the high-profile defendants involved but also the legal back-and-forth over bond sufficiency.

Outcome of today’s ruling could determine whether the lawmakers remain free or are ordered back into custody, pending trial. Editing by Jonathan Browne