Temple of Justice, Monrovia - The Monrovia City Court has ordered former House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and three sitting lawmakers to either justify the sufficiency of their bail bonds or face re-arrest within 24 hours.
Stipendiary Magistrate Ben L. Barco issued the ultimatum on Monday following a mandate from Criminal Court 'A' Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie. Judge Willie had returned the case to the lower court with instructions for the City Court to assess the validity of the defendants' bail and report its findings to him.
"The court has no option but to obey the mandate," Magistrate Barco ruled, referencing Judge Willie's directive to hear the state's exceptions to the defendants' bail bonds and determine their sufficiency no later than Wednesday, June 25, 2025. "Failure to comply would amount to contempt, which this magistrate dares not do."
The defendants in question--Reps. Abu B. Kamara, Jacob Debee, and Dixon Seboe, along with former Speaker Koffa--have been given until Tuesday, June 24 at 9 a.m. to produce their sureties in court. If they fail to do so, the bonds will be nullified, and they will be subject to immediate re-arrest, the magistrate warned.
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In backing his decision, Magistrate Barco cited the Supreme Court's 2013 opinion in The Intestate Estate of the Late Sarah Sirleaf vs. EL-Bim et al, which reinforced the authority of superior court mandates over lower courts.
Following the ruling, one of the defense attorneys took exception and vowed to pursue available legal remedies.
During arguments, defense lawyer Cllr. Michael Wilkins Wright contended that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the state's exceptions, asserting that the matter had become moot after the case was transferred to Criminal Court 'A.' According to Cllr. Wright, the prosecution had waived its right to challenge the bond when it failed to raise objections before Magistrate Barco's final ruling during the preliminary examination.
He added that Criminal Court 'A' had already demanded the case file and accepted the defendants' human sureties along with the bail bond previously approved by the City Court.
"The issue of the bond is no longer relevant," Wright argued. "The prosecution's exceptions are now moot, and we pray this court to set them aside and dismiss them entirely."
But the prosecution disagreed, calling the defense's motion a deliberate attempt to delay proceedings.
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State lawyer Cllr. Jerry Garlawolu accused the defense of rehashing arguments already rejected by Judge Willie, who had specifically instructed the City Court to resume jurisdiction for the limited purpose of evaluating the bail bond.
Garlawolu claimed the named sureties on the bond were fictitious and said the defense was attempting to buy time. "It's disingenuous to argue mootness when this court has been expressly mandated to conduct this hearing," he said.
He further argued that judicial records prove the bond was challenged in time and that the court should take judicial notice of the case file.
The prosecution asked the court to deny the defense's motion and compel the defendants to present real sureties or file a new, sufficient bond.
