Liberia’s Solicitor General, Cllr. Augustine Faiyah, is demanding the re-arrest of former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, and other co-defendants in the Capitol Building arson case, citing alleged fraud in their bail bond.
Speaking Monday morning on the grounds of the Temple of Justice following legal arguments into the legitimacy of the bond, Cllr. Faiyah described the $440,000 bail filed by the defendants as “inadequate and potentially fraudulent.”
According to the Solicitor General, the properties and sureties listed in the bond cannot be located or verified, raising serious questions about its authenticity. He has since petitioned the court to demand concrete proof of the bond’s validity, warning that failure to produce such evidence should lead to the lawmakers being remanded at the Monrovia Central Prison.
“We cannot allow people to walk free on the basis of a bond that may not exist in substance,” Faiyah stated. “The state is seeking a court order to have the accused returned to prison until a valid bail is filed.”
The Capitol Building arson case, which shook the country earlier this year, involves a group of high-profile individuals accused of orchestrating or facilitating an alleged fire attack on the seat of the National Legislature. The case has since been under intense public and legal scrutiny due to the stature of those involved.
As the legal battle intensifies, the question remains whether the court will uphold the Solicitor General’s request and send the former lawmakers back to prison, or allow them to remain on bail while the case proceeds.
The court is yet to rule on the matter.
