MONROVIA – Reports say the Stipendiary Magistrate Ben L. Barco will tomorrow, June 27 deliver his ruling in the bond arguments between defendants in the alleged Capitol Building arson case and prosecution lawyers.
Prosecution lawyers in their exceptions to the bond filed by former speaker Koffa and other Lawmakers contended, among other things, that the defendants’ bond was insufficient and that the sureties did not exist, calling for the defendants to be re-arrested and imprisoned at the Monrovia Central prison.
On Tuesday June 24, 2025 defense lawyers witness named Joanna Janet Koffa appeared in court to justify the bond, as the case, involving charges of arson has drawn public attention due to its legal and political sensitivity.
The witness Joanna Janet Koffa, daughter of Co-Defendant Fonati Koffa and General Manager at the United Commodities Incorporated, testified under oath that the property listed, located in Todee District, Lower Montserrado County, and valued at $440.000 United States Dollars, is fully owned by her and her sister, and it’s free of any legal encumbrances.
She submitted the original deed, recent tax clearance, and a certified valuation report to the court, and also affirmed the legitimacy of the bond and vouched for the financial credibility of the sureties.
Joanna, who identified Marjan Mona Koffa, one of the sureties, as her sister, dismissed the prosecution’s claims that the bond was “bogus” or “worthless.
The defense rested its case by invoking Jimmy v. Republic; a Supreme Court precedent that they argue affirms the validity of bonds that meet procedural criteria.
At the same time, the prosecution lawyers urged the court to reject the bond, re-arrest the defendants, and uphold standards that ensure bonds are both procedurally sound and substantively credible.
The proceedings stemmed from a June 23 court directive ordering the defendants to justify their bond or face immediate rearrest. With all evidence and arguments now presented, the court is set to rule on tomorrow, Thursday, June 26, 2025 at midday, a decision that could carry profound legal and political consequences.
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