S/Court Decides Koffa’s Fate Today

By Lincoln G. Peters

MONROVIA, August 28, 2026 — Chief Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay Sr. is expected to hand down a ruling today, Friday, August 28, in a legal challenge stemming from the stalled Capitol Building arson trial involving former House Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa and several other defendants.

The ruling centers on a petition for a writ of prohibition filed by defense lawyers challenging Criminal Court “A” Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie’s decision to disband the trial jury and declare a mistrial.

The defense contends that Judge Willie’s decision was legally unjustified and prejudicial to the rights of the defendants, and has asked the Supreme Court to overturn it.

The case involves former Speaker and Grand Kru County District #2 Representative Koffa; Montserrado County District #16 Representative Dixon W. Seboe; Montserrado County District #15 Representative Abu B. Kamara; and Grand Gedeh County District #3 Representative Jacob C. Debee, among others.

According to the Judiciary, Chief Justice Gbeisay is expected to deliver the ruling at 11 a.m. in the Chamber of the Supreme Court.

“Chief Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay, Sr. will hand down the ruling in the Capitol Arson Case, involving former House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and Representatives Dixon W. Seboe, Abu B. Kamara, and K. Jacob C. B. Debee,” the Judiciary said.

The Capitol arson matter is among 55 cases scheduled for rulings by the Supreme Court between Thursday and Friday as the Court concludes its judicial term.

Thirty rulings were scheduled for Thursday, August 27, while another 25, including the Capitol arson matter, are expected Friday.

The cases range from criminal matters, including murder, to ejectment and debt disputes.

Jury Dispute

The Capitol Building arson trial suffered a major setback when Judge Willie disbanded the 15-member jury after determining that a juror had expressed what the court considered a strong opinion during the examination of a prosecution witness.

The controversy centered on Juror J30-9863, an identification number used to protect the juror’s identity.

During proceedings, the juror reportedly questioned whether a person appearing in video evidence and identified by a prosecution witness as defendant Thomas Isaac Etheridge was actually Etheridge.

The juror reportedly remarked that the individual appeared to be a Chinese man before asking the witness: “Are these two the same?”

The prosecution subsequently moved to have the jury disbanded, arguing that the juror’s statement raised concerns about impartiality and had potentially influenced the rest of the panel.

Defense lawyers opposed the motion, arguing that the juror had merely asked a question intended to clarify evidence presented by the prosecution.

Judge Willie, however, sided with the prosecution and ruled that the juror had formed a strong opinion in the presence of the other jurors, thereby contaminating the entire panel.

“The Court says this strong opinion formed by Juror J30-9863 contaminated the entire trial jury because it was made in plain view, in the presence of the entire panel of jurors, the parties, and the Court,” Judge Willie ruled.

He subsequently dismissed the jury and declared a mistrial, effectively terminating the proceedings without a verdict and requiring the case to begin anew.

“The entire panel jury is hereby disbanded and/or dismissed, and a mistrial is announced; meaning this trial is hereby terminated without a verdict, and a new trial is required to start anew,” Willie ruled.

The defense challenged that decision, maintaining that the juror’s remarks amounted to a question rather than a conclusion about the evidence.

Defense lawyers further argued that even if the individual juror had expressed an opinion, there was insufficient legal basis to attribute that opinion to the remaining members of the jury and dismiss the entire panel.

They also contended that the prosecution failed to establish misconduct by the other jurors that would justify terminating the trial.

The dispute subsequently moved to the Supreme Court through the defense petition for a writ of prohibition.

Today’s ruling is therefore expected to determine whether Judge Willie’s decision to disband the jury and declare a mistrial will stand, a decision that could shape how the Capitol Building arson case proceeds before Criminal Court “A.”