Ex-speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa charged with arson

The former president of the Parliament of Liberia was accused of criminal fire for a fire which destroyed the House of Nation representatives, local police said.

The huge fire broke out last December, one day after the intention of withdrawing Jonathan Fonati Koffa from his role as a speaker sparked demonstrations in the capital, Monrovia.

Koffa had been locked in an impasse with her political opponents, with dozens of legislators voting for her dismissal in October for accusations of bad governance, corruption and conflicts of interest.

Koffa has previously refused any connection to burst of fire.

Police said on Friday that there were “credible links” to suggest that Koffa was “strategically involved” in the incident. Five other legislators were also held in the case.

Police chief Gregory Colman said Koffa had been accused of a series of offenses, including criminal fires, criminal misdeeds, endangering other people and attempted murder.

Colman said Koffa had used his office and staff “to coordinate sabotage efforts in November 2023”, according to AFP news agency.

Friday, Koffa and several other legislators were summoned to the headquarters of the Liberian national police as “people of interest” in the case, reports the local media.

The former speaker and three members in office of the House of Representatives were then immersed in Monrovia central prison on Saturday, the Frontpage Africa newspaper reported.

The fire of December 18, 2024 destroyed all the joint chambers of the West African nation legislature. No one was inside the building at the time.

The day before had seen tense demonstrations against plans aimed at withdrawing Koffa, with demonstrators including an assistant from former president George Weah arrested.

Several people, including Koffa and the representative Frank Saah Foko, were brought for interrogation by the police.

Foko, an eminent figure of the House of Representatives, would have downloaded a video on Facebook in which he said: “If they want us to burn the rooms, we will burn it.”

A team of American independent investigators was brought to help the investigation concluded that the fire had been deliberately described.

The Room of Representatives of Liberia was assaulted by a longtime power struggle.

Although the offer to dismiss Koffa was not required from the majority of two thirds required, the group of 47 legislators who had voted for this move unilaterally appointed their own speaker.

Last month, Koffa resigned from his post as a speaker after months of political blocking.