Liberia: Koffa’s Arrest – Justice On Trial or Politics in Disguise?

The image of riot police flanking the perimeter of the Monrovia Central Prison–with shields drawn and batons in hand–is a visual Liberia hoped it had consigned to the past. It signals not just heightened political tension, but a judiciary and security apparatus caught in the vortex of public scrutiny and political suspicion.

Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, now sits behind bars, charged with serious crimes including arson and attempted murder for his…