Published: September 30, 2025
MONROVIA — Former House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa has filed a $4.5 million defamation suit against the Bukonjedeh Group of Companies and its chief executive officer, Elton Johns, accusing them of spreading false statements that he says damaged his reputation, cost him business relationships and inflicted emotional distress.
The complaint, lodged September 23 at the Sixth Judicial Circuit’s Civil Law Court in Montserrado County, alleges that Johns falsely told listeners of Punch FM on Aug. 14 that Koffa owed him $12,500 dating back to July 2024.
Koffa contends the claim was untrue, malicious and amplified on Facebook and other platforms, reaching “the Liberian public and the international audience.”
“The statement was a malicious libel calculated to expose the plaintiff to hatred, contempt and public ridicule,” the lawsuit states.
Koffa, a lawyer and member of the Supreme Court Bar who represented Grand Kru County’s District 2 and later served as the 55th Legislature’s Speaker, argues the remarks amounted to defamation per se under Liberian law — meaning they were inherently damaging and do not require further proof of harm.
He says the allegations also exposed him to potential criminal suspicion because accusing someone of refusing to pay a lawful debt can be construed as theft under Liberian law.
Background of the Dispute
According to the filing, the former Speaker believes Johns’ alleged animus stems from policy changes Koffa made as Speaker that ended Bukonjedeh’s free office space at the Capitol Building and curtailed what the suit calls the company’s “usurious lending practices” to legislative staff.
Damages Sought
Koffa, represented by the International Law Group, is seeking:
- $4 million in special damages for alleged loss of income from terminated business relationships.
- $500,000 in general damages for pain, suffering and emotional distress.
The complaint cites the precedent Bakleh v. Greene, 14 LLR 204 (1960), in arguing that the statements meet the standard for actionable defamation.
Court Action
The Civil Law Court has issued a writ of summons ordering Johns and Bukonjedeh to appear on Dec. 15 to answer the allegations.
The writ warns that failure to appear could result in a default judgment in Koffa’s favor.
Koffa’s lawyers say they will present radio and social-media recordings as evidence of what they describe as defamatory remarks that hurt his standing “locally and internationally.”
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