BREAKING: Judge Feika Orders Finda Bundoo Re-Arrested After Rejecting Her Criminal Appearance Bonds

MONROVIA, LIBERIA:  Criminal Court “C” at the Temple of Justice has set bail at US$8 million for former Executive Mansion Chief of Protocol Nora Finda Bundoo and ordered her immediate re-arrest after rejecting two property bonds submitted to secure her release in an ongoing corruption case.

Assigned Circuit Judge Ousman F. Feika ruled Tuesday that the two sureties presented on Bundoo’s behalf did not meet the legal requirements necessary to guarantee her appearance before the court.

The judge subsequently ordered the court sheriff to arrest Bundoo and have her detained at the Monrovia Central Prison, commonly known as South Beach, unless she can provide a new criminal appearance bond backed by qualified, unencumbered property valued at US$8 million.

The court also instructed its clerk to issue a writ of arrest if Bundoo is not currently before the court.

Court Rejects Two Sureties

The latest decision follows an earlier ruling on July 3 in which the court rejected Bundoo’s original criminal appearance bond and gave her 72 hours to provide another.

Her lawyers later presented two sureties, Kai Garlo Farley and John Moses Gbetee.

Farley presented property reportedly valued at US$240,000, while Gbetee offered property valued at US$350,000, bringing the combined value to US$590,000.

State prosecutors challenged the sureties, arguing that the properties were insufficient considering the amount of money involved in the charges against Bundoo.

Following a review of the documents, Judge Feika ruled that Gbetee’s property could not qualify as sufficient security because it had already been used as collateral in several other court cases.

According to the ruling, the US$350,000 property had reportedly been pledged in about 20 different cases involving bonds totaling more than US$2.4 million.

The court said allowing the same property to continue serving as security despite those existing obligations would undermine the purpose of Liberia’s bail system.

Judge Feika also determined that even if the property had been accepted, the combined US$590,000 value of the two sureties would still be insufficient based on the financial amounts contained in the indictment.

The court therefore rejected both sureties and increased Bundoo’s criminal appearance bond to US$8 million.

Bundoo Facing Multiple Charges

Bundoo, who served as Chief of Protocol under former President George Weah from 2018 to 2023, is among several people indicted in November 2025 in connection with the case commonly referred to as the “Gracious Ride” case.

The case is being prosecuted by the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Taskforce.

Bundoo and the other defendants face charges including money laundering, theft of property, misuse of public money, property or records, criminal conspiracy and criminal facilitation.

Prosecutors allege that more than US$6.7 million and L$845 million in public funds were moved or concealed through businesses, including the Anita Group of Companies and Gracious Ride, between 2020 and 2023.

Bundoo has denied wrongdoing. The allegations against her have not been proven, and she remains presumed innocent unless found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Court records indicate that while other defendants were served following the indictment in November 2025, Bundoo was not served until June 9, 2026, because she was outside Liberia when the indictment was unsealed.

Ruling Comes Days After Father’s Funeral

The court’s decision comes just days after Bundoo made strong remarks during her late father’s funeral on Saturday.

During her tribute, Bundoo claimed that some people within her own political circle wanted to see her imprisoned at South Beach.

“They said I must be at South Beach,” she told mourners, while expressing gratitude that she had been able to return home and participate in her father’s burial.

She also thanked President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah for what she described as their support during the period surrounding her father’s death and funeral.

With Tuesday’s ruling, Bundoo will now have to secure a legally acceptable US$8 million criminal appearance bond to remain out of detention while the case proceeds, unless her lawyers successfully challenge the decision through the appropriate legal process.

The substantive corruption allegations against Bundoo and the other defendants remain before the court for determination.