Published: June 23, 2026
MONROVIA – A group of prayer warriors escorted former Chief of Protocol Nora Finda Bondo to Criminal Court ‘C’ at the Temple of Justice on Tuesday, surrounding her in prayer outside the courthouse as she arrived to face her ongoing corruption case.
The supporters prayed and offered words of encouragement before Bondo entered the courtroom, then gathered around her once more in prayer as she left. Several described the showing as a demonstration of faith during what they called a difficult period in the former official’s life.
Inside, the proceedings were brief. Judge Ousman F. Feika suspended a hearing into whether three guarantors are financially qualified to back Bondo’s bail bond, ordering the matter reassigned for 9 a.m. Thursday, June 25, before any of the proposed sureties could testify. Because all parties were present when the announcement was made, the judge ruled that the court minutes would serve as official notice of assignment.
The hearing centered not on the merits of the corruption charges but on a Motion to Justify Sureties filed by the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force and the Ministry of Justice. The motion seeks to compel the individuals who signed the defendants’ criminal appearance bond to appear in court and establish their legal and financial capacity to serve as guarantors.
Prosecutors identified the sureties as Cllr. Abraham W. Simpson, Rev. Fayiah Falambo and Mrs. Tina Falambo. The government argued that the three should testify under oath about their eligibility and financial standing, and that the court must verify whether they hold sufficient assets to cover the bond should the defendants fail to appear. Under Liberian law, sureties must demonstrate ownership or control of assets capable of covering the value of the bond.
The government also raised a pointed objection: court rules, prosecutors contend, prohibit an attorney from simultaneously serving as a surety and representing a client in the same proceeding. Simpson appears in the case in both capacities, sitting on Bondo’s defense team while also standing as one of her guarantors.
Bondo was represented by a team headed by Cllr. M. Wilkin Wright and Cllr. Abraham W. Simpson of Simpson Consultancy LLC and Wright and Associate. The Republic of Liberia was represented by AREPT Chairman Cllr. Edwin K. Martin, alongside Cllr. Jerry D.K. Galawollo, Cllr. Augustine Tepleh, Cllr. Tommy Dougha, Cllr. Peter Kekula, Cllr. Wellington Bedell and Atty. Suzanne A. Johnson.
Bondo, a former deputy minister, faces multiple felony counts together with several co-defendants, including money laundering, theft of property, misuse of public money, property or records, criminal conspiracy, forgery and criminal facilitation.
Court records show the indictment also names Francis T. Blamo, manager of Gracious Ride; Anita Pamela Jallah, chief executive officer of Anita Group of Companies Incorporated; Emmanuel Kollie, general manager of Anita Business Center; Anthony Saytue, manager of Anita Mining and Agriculture Development Cooperative Society; Philip Toe, assistant manager of the same entity; and several other individuals yet to be identified.
According to prosecutors, the alleged scheme involved the unlawful acquisition, movement, concealment and conversion of assets believed to be linked to public resources. Investigators contend that several companies and individuals worked together in transactions designed to disguise the origin and ownership of the assets while benefiting from public property. The prosecution maintains that evidence gathered during its investigation establishes probable cause that the defendants took part.
The outcome of the motion could determine whether the current appearance bond remains valid, our judicial correspondent reports. If prosecutors succeed in challenging the qualifications of the sureties, the defendants could be required to file a new bond or produce alternative guarantors acceptable to the court.
The case marks another step in the government’s effort to recover allegedly stolen assets and prosecute corruption-related offenses through AREPT and the Ministry of Justice. It is expected to remain under intense public scrutiny as it moves toward substantive hearings on the charges.
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