Former House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and others, bail bond was on Thursday, June 26, 2025, granted by the Stipendiary Magistrate of the Monrovia City Court as the Criminal Appearance Bond. Therefore, the bond is guaranteed by sureties, who appeared in court and justified the bond sufficiency and adequacy.
Judge L. Ben Barco said, the defendants are all public servants currently serving as Representatives at the Legislature.
He recognizes that the 1986 Constitution states: “a person accused of a crime, which is not a capital offense or a grave offense as defined by law has the right to be released on bail upon his or her own personal recognizance.
Personal recognizance, also known as release on one’s own recognizance (OR) or personal recognizance (PR), is a pretrial release where a defendant promises to appear in court without having to post bail. It’s essentially a written agreement, a promise made by the defendant to the court, guaranteeing their appearance for future court proceedings.
Meanwhile, the City Court judge added that the sureties are authorized by law to serve as sureties on a criminal appearance bond; noting that the bond before the court was not an indemnity bond, and coupled with the fact that the defendants are all members of the House of Representatives.
Judge Barco ruled that the exception to the Criminal Appearance Bond filed by the prosecution is denied, and the motion to justify granted, and that the defendants are hereby ordered temporarily released.
The Clerk of Court has been ordered to transmit the minutes of the Court to the 1st Judicial Circuit, Criminal Court “A,” informing the Judge of the decision of the Court.
Magistrate Barco said the defendants are all public servants occupying the positions at the First Branch of the government (House of Representatives), therefore, the court recognizes the fact that under the 1886 constitution, a person accused of a crime, which is not a capital offense or a grave offense as defined by law has the right to be released on bail bond upon his/her own personal recognition.
Based on that, Barco said, Koffa and co-defendants were duly elected representatives; they can be released upon their personal recognizance as contemplated by the 1986 constitution.
In addition, the Magistrate says Koffa and others statuses in the country, have allowed them to file a criminal appearance bond guaranteed by sureties, which have justified their sufficiency and adequacy.
Judge Barco said the court established that the sureties are authorized by to as sureties on a criminal appearance bond and the bond before the court not being an indemnity bond.
The Koffa and others bond is filed by Joanna Janet Koffa, one of the daughters of defendant Koffa. The valuation of the bond is over US$80,000, and it jointly owned by she and her elder sister, Marjan Mona Koffa.
The defendants are held for their alleged complicities in the December 18, 2024, arson attack on the Capitol Building.