Senator Konneh Voiced Uneasiness over Police Handling of Lawmakers in Capitol Building Arson Investigation

Capitol Hill: Senator Amara Konneh of Gbarpolu County has voiced dissatisfaction in the manner the Liberia National Police treated former Speaker Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa and co-defendants in relation to the December 18, 2024, fire incident at the Capitol Building.

On Saturday, June 7, 2025, Cllr. Koffa and Representatives Abu Kamara, Jacob Debee, and Dixon Seboe were arraigned before the Monrovia City Court Magistrate Ben Barco and subsequently transferred to the Monrovia Central Prison. 

Their incarceration at South Beach follows when they were invited to the headquarters of the Liberia National Police on Friday, June 6, 2025, as a person of interest in the investigation regarding the December 18, 2024, fire incident at the Capitol Building. 

Montserrado District #9 and Bong County District #3 Frank Saah Foko and Josiah Marvin Cole initially were invited as persons of interest but were later released for lack of compelling evidence linking their participation in the plot to set the Capitol ablaze. 

Representative Pricilla Cooper of Montserrado, charged along with Cllr. Koffa and others, was released to her lawyer from police custody on the night of Friday, June 6, 2025, on grounds of poor health condition. She has since waived her right to a preliminary hearing in the trial.

Senator Konneh believes the police's use of excessive force against the four high-profile government officials was politically motivated.

Expressing his discontent via his official Facebook account, the Gbarpolu Senator frowned on the use of heavily armed officers to escort the former Speaker Koffa and his colleagues to the Monrovia Central Prison.

In the Facebook explanation under the caption “The Politics of the Bail System: What is the Price for Freedom Before Trial?” Konneh argued that recent developments expose deep flaws in Liberia’s justice system—particularly the influence of politics on decisions surrounding pre-trial detention.

“What transpired in Liberia’s justice system over the last few days highlights a troubling truth: the fate of defendants and their pre-trial freedom is dictated not by their guilt, innocence, or even the severity of their alleged crimes, but rather by political affiliations,” Senator Konneh stated.

“In this specific instance, it was not the established legal bail system that secured the release of the former Speaker and his co-defendants; it was the weight of political pressure,” he added.

“Perhaps now is the time for the legislature to revisit our Constitution to fortify protections for accused persons through an unequivocal commitment to the doctrine of ‘innocent until proven guilty.’”

“We must rely on our legal experts to guide us in protecting the integrity of our justice system and upholding the rights of the accused. A fairer, more equitable legal landscape is essential for all.”

He compared images of Koffa and colleagues being escorted to South Beach under the guard of heavily armed officers to that of the 1980 coup when Thomas Weh-Sehn and Nelson Toe were escorted by armed men to the prison.

Senator Konneh: “The images of LNP officers wielding machine guns as they escorted former Speaker Koffa and his colleagues to jail, vivid images like those of figures like Weh-Sehn, Nelson Toe, and others being escorted by M-16 rifle-carrying AFL soldiers, surfaced in my mind.”

Recounting the lawmakers’ defiant gestures upon release to historic resistance movements, he said, “As the prisoners walked outside the prison gate yesterday, they threw their fists in the air to cheering supporters, shouting Apartheid-era South African slogans—just like other high-profile prisoners did in the 1980s. It struck me suddenly that we seem to have learned nothing from our collective traumas. It feels as though everything is still politicized.”

Senator Konneh, a former Minister of Finance and a respected voice in the Senate, warned that such militarized legal proceedings involving elected officials risk eroding public trust in the justice system and tarnishing Liberia’s democratic credentials.

The case involves allegations linking Koffa and several lawmakers to a fire that severely damaged sections of the Capitol Building late last year. Defense lawyers have moved to dismiss the charges, calling them politically motivated and lacking credible evidence.

Konneh noted that while the bail system and legal instruments such as the Ne Exeat Republica writ are intended to manage flight risks, their uneven application raises serious concerns.

A writ of Ne Exeat Republica is an action by a court of jurisdiction banning a person from leaving the country during ongoing legal proceedings. It is a temporary remedy and not intended to operate as a perpetual restriction upon a taxpayer’s freedom of movement.

“Why, I wonder, did the court not uphold these mechanisms for justice for former Speaker Koffa and his co-defendants?” he asked.

While calling for accountability in the Capitol arson case, Konneh emphasized that justice must be applied evenly.

“We are all yearning for accountability regarding the Capitol’s burning—an act that attacked our very symbol of democracy. I wrote the letter demanding accountability, which led to a public hearing in the Senate late last week. Yet, we require that justice be meted out equitably, without favoritism and political targeting.”

He cited Article 66 of the Liberian Constitution, which enshrines the presumption of innocence and guarantees bail except in capital or exceptionally grave offenses, while explicitly prohibiting excessive bail.