MONROVIA – Former Speaker J. Fonati Koffa has sharply dismissed the strength of the prosecution’s case after Judge Roosevelt Willie of Criminal Court “A” on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, denied defense lawyers’ motion to suppress evidence in the ongoing Capitol Hill arson trial.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the ruling, Koffa questioned whether prosecutors had gathered any credible material to link him and the other defendants to the December 18, 2024, blaze that gutted the Capitol Building.
“Let me comment again on the evidence because I’ve heard some lawyers talking about overwhelming evidence. Do you have eyewitnesses? No. Do you have a camera to show who lit the fire? No. Do you know who lit the fire? No. Do you have forensic evidence, fingerprint, footprint, hair fibers, and what have you, to prove your case? No. What you have is a bunch of follow-ups and a bunch of recordings, and that will not be sufficient to sustain a guilty verdict. They have nothing,” Koffa said.
He insisted that while the prosecution has repeatedly claimed to possess strong evidence, the reality shows otherwise. According to him, the record now includes medical reports and details from the preliminary investigation, but these, he argued, are insufficient to prove the defendants’ guilt.
Koffa also reacted strongly to questions about medical assessments that linked injuries sustained by some defendants to allegations of torture. He cited the report of one of the medical experts, which stated that findings were “consistent with allegations of torture,” and argued that the interpretation had been downplayed.
“You see, we’ve got to learn to read and comprehend. In Thomas Etheridge’s report, it says, ‘consistent with allegations of torture,’ period. There’s no qualification. If you look at another, Stephen M. Broh, it said, ‘consistent with allegations of torture, but could be other things.’ So you don’t just take what is convenient. You take all the reports together. What about those that were consistent? Do you know that? You don’t,” he told reporters.
Despite the setback in court, Koffa remained defiant, declaring that the case against him and his co-defendants lacked any solid foundation. “We’re going to trial with the overwhelming evidence that they say they have. Which, again, they do not have eyewitnesses. They do not have cameras to show who made the fire. They do not have forensic evidence. Imagine the LPRC evidence says the poor water quality of water and kerosene. What kind of nonsense is that?” he asked.
The Capitol Arson Trial continues to attract wide public attention as prosecutors press forward with charges of attempted murder, criminal conspiracy, reckless burning and explosion, criminal solicitation, facilitation, and reckless endangerment. The case remains one of the most closely watched in recent Liberian judicial history, given the political profile of the defendants and the destruction of the nation’s legislative headquarters.
