Koffa Preliminary Hearing Arguments Set for Today …As Gov’t's Second Witness Testifies

After days of hearing testimony from government witnesses and reviewing submitted evidence, the Monrovia City Court Magistrate has scheduled final arguments for today in the preliminary hearing of former House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and other lawmakers.

The preliminary hearing was requested by Koffa and other defendants’ legal counsel in accordance with Criminal Procedure Law Chapter 12, Section 12.2. Under this provision, defendants have the right to request a preliminary examination after their first court appearance, which must be conducted within a reasonable time.

During preliminary hearings, defendants maintain several key rights: receiving a copy of the complaint before the hearing, being present during all witness testimony, cross-examining witnesses, and requesting that other witnesses be excluded during individual testimonies.

The magistrate applies a probable cause standard if evidence shows probable cause that an offense was committed and the defendant committed it, the defendant is held to answer in Circuit Court; otherwise, they are discharged.

On Wednesday, June 11, 2025, Rafell A. Wilson, Chief Investigator in the Crime Services Division (CSD), provided crucial testimony during the proceedings.

Wilson testified that during their investigation, authorities uncovered an audio conversation between defendant Abu Kamara and Koffa, recorded while Jacob Debee and other actors were present at HOR-15, a location owned by Kamara.

The recording, played in open court as government evidence marked P/2, allegedly captured a phone conversation between Kamara and Koffa.

According to Wilson’s testimony, the conversation included statements such as: “Where are you? I am at the President’s House. Who is the President? Which one? The current President. What are you doing with those people? They called us and we are here. We are waiting for you, we have a different plan. When I leave from here I will call you. Tomorrow, we want to do something to that place.”

The conversation allegedly continued with references to having “actors” present and plans for the following day, with one participant stating: “I told you that man is not President but you like to call him President. That is the title they give him. Those guys put hands on us today; in fact, it is a different thing.”

Wilson narrated that on the day of a planned protest by Vandalark Patrick, the investigation revealed that defendant Seboe alias “Gago”, through John Nyanti and Amos Koffa, recruited several persons from New Kru Town for the purpose of disrupting activities at the Capitol Building.

Regarding the conspiracy charges, Wilson testified that defendant Thomas Isaac Etheridge maintains close ties to former Speaker Koffa, while Nyanti and Koffa are connected to Seboe.

According to the investigation, these individuals met at Jallah Town behind Conex Station to discuss plans with defendants Jerry Poka and Kivi Bah, with the alleged agenda including burning down the building.

Wilson further testified that Poka and Bah informed Amos Koffa they were hungry, prompting defendant Seboe to arrive and provide money through his driver to Koffa.

Later that evening, Nyanti allegedly provided $250 to Bah to purchase gasoline, and the group separated before reconvening at the University of Liberia side of the Capitol Building, where other participants were waiting.

According to Wilson’s testimony, the group then moved into the joint chamber on the fourth floor, used gasoline to set the building ablaze, and most participants fled the scene while Thomas remained to videotape the crime as evidence for his superior.

Wilson added that when police began searching for perpetrators, defendant Seboe used Christian Koffa, a filing clerk in his office, to help defendant John Nyanti (who was on the run) flee Liberia with cash assistance.

Nyanti’s sister allegedly took him out of Monrovia to Loguatuo using a laissez-passer under the name of New Kru Town Governor Moses Duneenie.

Similarly, Amos Koffa was reportedly aided by Patrick Saah Ali, under Seboe’s instruction, using a laissez-passer under the name Roland King.

The government presented additional evidence of a conversation between Seboe and Ali, played in court, which allegedly included: “Gago is here. You know who you are talking to? Yes Sir. From now, do not call me on this number because you guys will not have internet. Which part are you right now? Redlight. Do not call my direct line and do not worry about anything.”

Wilson indicated that this conversation involved Seboe, Ali, and Amos Koffa.

The defendants Representatives J. Fonati Koffa, Dixon W. Seboe, Abu B. Kamara, and Jacob C. Debee were released on June 9, 2025. They are currently facing multiple charges including arson, criminal mischief, criminal conspiracy, criminal solicitation, criminal intent to commit murder, aggravated assault, illegal possession of firearms, release or distribution of force, and theft of property.

When pressed by defense counsel about the source of evidence, Wilson stated that information was gathered from defendant Etheridge’s phone, open sources, and witness statements. Communications between the four defendants Koffa, Kamara, Debee, and Seboe were allegedly recovered from Etheridge’s phone.

Koffa’s lawyer questioned investigator Peter Johnson during cross-examination about how his client could be linked to the case when the defendants’ phones were not seized. Johnson replied that Etheridge’s phone was taken and researched in accordance with the law in connection to the case.

Regarding defendant Kamara’s audio evidence, he responded that the audio was generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and claimed that even his young daughter studying abroad could identify such audio as AI-generated.

The government’s second witness further narrated Koffa’s involvement following the commission of the crime, stating that a chatroom operated by senior staff in Koffa’s office showed alarm that Etheridge should be removed from the chatroom after his arrest.

Koffa allegedly inquired whether Etheridge was present during the incident, and staff member Patience Bestmen informed him that Etheridge had been arrested and needed to be removed from the chatroom.

The investigator noted that through the senior staff chatroom in Koffa’s office, where information is regularly exchanged, they observed two of Koffa’s staff requesting that someone quickly go to the police station to retrieve Thomas’s phone to prevent security from identifying messages related to the fire incident.

An interesting development occurred when the case was about to start: defendant Koffa left his designated bench while co-defendants Kamara, Seboe, and Debee remained and sat on the defense counsel bench.

Magistrate Ben Barco informed defense lawyers that Attorney J. Johnny Momo, who was on record as one of the defense lawyers, requested to be excused due to his contract with the Ministry of Justice and close relationships with defendants Kamara and Koffa, which he viewed as conflicting interests.

This revelation shocked the defense team, as Momo stated he could not ethically participate in the matter.

Regarding the conspiracy charges, Johnson explained that once an individual agrees with another person to commit a crime without necessarily knowing all other conspirators and acts in furtherance of that agreement, as defendant Koffa allegedly did, they can be charged with both criminal conspiracy and the underlying crime itself in this case, arson.

Wilson emphasized that Koffa was a member of the staff chatroom and likely saw the messages, positioning him as one of the alleged financiers of the group that burned the Capitol Building's Joint Chambers.

The preliminary hearing continues as the court prepares to hear final arguments from both the government and defense counsel to determine whether sufficient probable cause exists to bind the defendants over for trial in Circuit Court.