Published: July 4, 2025
MONROVIA – The Liberian Investigator has obtained internal messages from a senior staff chatroom linked to former Speaker J. Fonati Koffa’s office—messages now cited as central evidence by the Liberia National Police and state prosecutors in their sweeping indictment of Koffa, several lawmakers, and aides accused in the Capitol arson case. However, a close review of these logs reveals a narrative that appears to differ substantially from the version detailed in court records and the 63-count indictment.
According to police testimony, co-defendants Harrilyn Grace Johnson and Patience Bestman—both senior staffers—allegedly had foreknowledge of the December 18, 2024 fire that gutted the joint chambers of the Capitol Building. The indictment accuses them of conspiring to delete incriminating messages from the phone of co-defendant Thomas Isaac Etheridge in an attempt to obstruct the investigation.
However, the actual message from staffer Oleo Wreh read: “I advised some to quickly go and get Tom’s phone from him if it that has not yet been done, or let him be removed from all the office chatrooms temporarily.” According to Patience Bestman, Etheridge was subsequently removed “as a temporary measure.” A separate staffer who spoke to The Liberian Investigator on condition of anonymity clarified that such removals are standard practice whenever someone loses access to their phone or becomes indisposed.
At no point in the chat logs reviewed by The Liberian Investigator is there any mention plans to put the Capitol Building on fire, nor any evidence of a conspiracy to commit or cover up a crime. In fact, former Speaker Koffa himself later asked in the chat whether Thomas was in the building during the fire. Etheridge responded: “I was in the office and came down to my car and saw the fire and that’s how they arrested all of us.” Bestman followed up in the chat, saying, “They [are] usually there every morning,”.
These details run counter to the testimony of Chief Inspector Peter W. Johnson, who told the Monrovia City Court that the chatroom activity demonstrated clear intent to conceal evidence. “In that senior staff chatroom,” Johnson said in court, “the investigator saw two of Honorable Koffa’s staff requesting that Thomas was at the police station and they needed somebody to quickly come to the police to get his phone to avoid the security from identifying those messages… regarding the fire incident. Honorable Koffa is a member of that chatroom and we believe that he saw the message.”
In the indictment filed during the May Term of Court, A.D. 2025, the Government of Liberia charged 15 individuals, including Koffa and Representative Dixon Seboe, with serious crimes ranging from arson to criminal solicitation. Prosecutors allege the plan was conceived between November and December 2024 and executed in the early morning hours of December 18.
According to the state, a group led by Kivi Bah alias Kaba and others met on December 17 near the CONEX Gas Station on Jallah Town Road to finalize plans to burn the Capitol Building. The following morning, defendant Christian Kofa allegedly retrieved gasoline and, along with co-conspirators, set fire to the joint chambers, destroying furnishings and electrical systems. Damages were estimated at US$3.7 million.
Prosecutors rely heavily on audio recordings to buttress their claims. One such recording, according to prosecutors, Eric Susay brags, “we dirty the police officer (Sgt. Amara Bility), and left him lying on the street, and have taken his service weapon away and gave it to former EPS officers.” Bility, a member of the Police Support Unit, was reportedly attacked on duty and left with life-threatening injuries.
The indictment also claims the accused intended to expand their campaign of violence to include attacks on lawmakers and public property, with Susay allegedly requesting funds to build petrol bombs targeting the LRJ Hotel, the residence of Rep. James Kolleh, and vehicles belonging to the majority bloc. In one audio clip, according to the indictment, Amos Kofa allegedly asked Etheridge whether “he saw the materials to be used in the burning of the Capitol Building in the building.” After the fire, Amos Kofa reportedly called Etheridge to confirm the attack had been carried out and was told to proceed to Koffa’s residence behind the YWCA building in Congo Town.
Etheridge and Kofa were also reportedly recorded saying, “We will use tear gas and chlorine in the joint chambers to dislodge lawmakers from the majority bloc not to have access to the joint chamber for session.”
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