Govt to present witnesses in Capitol arson trial

Published: December 1, 2025

TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia — Government prosecutors are expected on Monday, December 1, 2025, to begin presenting oral and documentary evidence in the high-profile Capitol Building arson case involving former Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and Representatives Abu B. Kamara, Jacob Debee, and Dixon Seboe, along with several other defendants.

The lawmakers and their co-defendants pleaded not guilty on November 17, 2025, prompting a full jury trial before Criminal Court ‘A’ Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie. The defendants requested a jury trial, which will serve as the trier of fact. The case reached this phase after extensive legal proceedings that moved from the Monrovia City Court to Criminal Court ‘A’ and eventually to the Supreme Court. A three-day jury selection process concluded on November 20, and the indictment was formally read on November 17.

Charges and Grand Jury Findings

A special Montserrado County grand jury issued a true bill on June 16, 2025, indicting the lawmakers and others on charges including arson, criminal attempt to commit murder, criminal solicitation, criminal conspiracy, criminal mischief, aggravated assault, theft of property, recklessly endangering another person, and the release of destructive forces. Prosecutors allege that the group orchestrated and carried out the December 17, 2024 burning of the Joint Chambers of the Legislature, an incident that caused more than US$1.8 million in damage.

The Contested Preliminary Hearing

Before the case was forwarded for trial, Magistrate Ben L. Barco of the Monrovia City Court conducted a preliminary examination. The prosecution relied heavily on what it described as open-source, social-media-based evidence, a point the defense strongly contested on grounds of authenticity and origin. Despite these objections, Magistrate Barco determined that the state had established a prima facie case.

In his ruling, Barco said prosecution witnesses provided mutually reinforcing accounts of the events leading to the Capitol fire. Witnesses described Rep. Dixon Seboe as the alleged architect of the conspiracy, accusing him of recruiting individuals to carry out the burning and facilitating their escape afterward. They alleged that Rep. Abu B. Kamara provided financial support and hired participants described in the courtroom as “actors” involved in the attack. Witnesses further asserted that former Speaker Koffa had advance knowledge of the plan and participated in a chat group where the conspiracy was allegedly discussed. Rep. Jacob Debee was said to have overheard conversations concerning the plot and failed to alert law enforcement, which prosecutors argue made him complicit.

Magistrate Barco said these accounts were sufficient to establish probable cause. He ordered the case transferred to Criminal Court ‘A’, concluding that the prosecution had met the legal threshold required to have the defendants answer to the charges. Defense counsel excepted to the ruling and announced their intention to seek relief through all available legal channels.

As proceedings resume, it remains unclear how many witnesses the government will call. During the preliminary phase, prosecutors presented two investigators from the Liberia National Police Crime Services Division.