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ADNews-Monrovia, Liberia: Five Liberian lawmakers spent their first night behind bars, awaiting court proceedings following a police investigation linking them to the December 2024 fire that destroyed part of the Capitol Building, home of the Liberian Legislature, which President Joseph Nyuma Boakai previously described as an arson attack.
The Capitol Building was gutted by fire in early December during a period of intense political tension surrounding attempts to remove the then Speaker, Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa. According to police sources, the blaze caused an estimated $8.5 million in damages.
After months of investigation and consultations, the Liberia National Police on Friday, June 6, invited several lawmakers, including Koffa, for questioning as persons of interest in the case.
Two lawmakers were later released, but five others, including Rep. J. Fonati Koffa, Rep. Dixon Siebo, Rep. Jacob Debe, Rep. Abu Kamara, and Rep. Prescilla Cooper, have been formally charged. The charges include arson, criminal mischief, criminal facilitation, reckless endangerment, attempted murder, and criminal conspiracy.
Police authorities described the case as one of the most thorough investigations they have ever conducted, claiming to have gathered substantial evidence to move forward with prosecution.
In response to the charges, the ruling Unity Party (UP) expressed its full support for Rep. Prescilla Cooper, the only female lawmaker among the accused and a member of the party.
“The UP believes in her innocence and will continue to support her through the legal process,” the party said in a statement.
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