MONROVIA, Liberia – Nimba County Representative Musa Hassan Bility has issued a blistering public letter to President Joseph Boakai, calling for an immediate and sweeping audit of the Liberian Legislature amid the ongoing arson trial of former Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and four other lawmakers.
Bility warned that the government’s aggressive pursuit of arson charges—while ignoring systemic financial corruption within the Legislature—could be viewed as politically motivated. He urged President Boakai to demonstrate impartial leadership by ordering a full forensic audit of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, dating back to 2011.
“The alleged arson may cost this country one or two million dollars to repair,” Bility wrote. “But what of the millions—perhaps hundreds of millions—lost through abuse and misappropriation within the Legislature itself?”
The call comes as Koffa and fellow Representatives Dixon Seboe, Abu Bana Kamara, Priscilla Cooper, and Jacob Debee face criminal charges in connection with the December 2024 fire that destroyed a section of the Capitol Building. All five lawmakers have denied the charges, branding them as politically driven and lacking evidence.
In his letter, Bility said he supports the case being heard on its merits but criticized what he called “selective urgency” by the government in targeting certain individuals while ignoring deeper structural issues.
“We’ve raised [the audit] multiple times. We have failed,” Bility admitted. “Clearly, the Legislature will never muster the courage to audit itself. But you, the president, are empowered under the law.”
Citing the Revised Act of the General Auditing Commission (GAC), Bility emphasized that the President has legal authority to mandate an audit of any public institution, including the Legislature. He proposed that the audit should cover fiscal activities over the last 13 years, during which Liberia has seen sweeping budgetary allocations but limited transparency on legislative spending.
Bility’s message has ignited swift reactions across political and civic spaces, with many echoing concerns about fairness in the application of justice. He insisted that real reform must begin at “the heart of our democracy,” calling for a shift from political theater to systemic cleansing.
“This should be your legacy—not just the prosecution of a few alleged arsonists—but the bold decision to clean the system from within,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, the Monrovia City Court continues to hear motions in the Capitol fire case. Defense attorneys have moved to dismiss the charges, arguing that the government has failed to present substantive evidence linking their clients to the alleged arson.
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