Judge Willie Describes Defendants ‘Flight Risks’

Having noticed that defendants in the ongoing trial of the December 18, 2024, arson attack on the Capitol Building ‘floght risks, the judge has meanwhile, suspected that their bonds are “fake.”

Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie of Criminal Court ‘A’, has declared the defendants in the Arson attack on the Capitol Building on December 18, 2024, saga as flight risks and their bond filed before the circuit court being fake.

Flight risk is the likelihood that a defendant(s) will fail to appear in court if they are released from custody.

Courts aim to ensure that people show up for their hearings and do not flee the jurisdiction to avoid prosecution.

Judge Willie claimed that the property valuation bond covers defendants Christian Koffa, John Nyanti, Eric Susay, Thomas Isaac Etheridge, Gabriel Fansieh and Stephen Broh are fake.

The documents thereto to prove its validity, which were deemed by the expert or representative of the Liberia Revenue Authority, James Afif Jabar, Assistant Commissioner, real Estate Tax Division, “as faked, fraudulent and invalid and therefore, the defendants cannot be released from prison.”

Judge Willie noted that they must first know who is a flight risk, “A flight risk is an individual deemed likely to evade prosecution by leaving the jurisdiction of the court before their trial.”

“Defendants John Nyanti Eric Susay and Thomas Isaac Etheridge, are here considered flight risks; while defendants Christian Koffa, Stephen Broh and Gabriel Fansieh do not fall in this category.”

Judge Willie stated that prosecution did not provide any example of Christian Koffa, Stephen Broh and Gabriel Fansieh of them being flight risk as per their bill of exceptions, and therefore, they do not fall under the flight risk defendants.

The prosecution concluded that even as this proceedings is ongoing, one of the defendants, Amos Koffa, is currently at-large, and has not been found through the assistance of Patrick Hallie and Representative Dixon Seboe, who reportedly helped him to escape through the Logatuo border under the fake name Roland king. Defendant Amos is said to be residing in Ghana.

Another defendant, who is also a flight risk, according to the prosecution, Eric Susay, was in hiding for weeks, thus evading arrest until efforts were exerted by law enforcement agencies, who arrested him based on intelligence.

Also, the prosecution said Co-defendant John Nyanti is a flight risk, “because, after the commissioned of the crimes, he fled to Ghana by way of Ivory Coast under the fake name Moses Duayeneh, which was used to obtained Laissez Passer at the Logatuo border, but  was only repatriated by the employment of the Mutual Legal Assistance Pact between Liberia and Ghana.

When the Capitol Building was burnt on December 18, 2024, authorities of the Liberia National Police (LNP) named the then House Speaker Jonathan Koffa, and three others lawmakers as prime suspects.

According to the prosecution, Koffa, Dixon Seboe, Abu Kamara and Jacob Debe, appeared before the investigation team. Upon the completion of the investigation, probable cause was found and therefore forwarded to court for prosecution.