IN ITS RULING on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, the Supreme Court of Liberia was clear and distinct to the point. Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh in the High Court’s ruling in the leadership crisis at the House of Representatives, highlighted several key points that made ‘regime and controversial Speaker’ Richard Nagbe Koon illegitimate head of the House of Representatives of the 55th Legislature.
THE HIGH COURT stated: “Any action or sitting of the majority bloc in which the elected speaker is not presiding despite being present and is not absent or incapacitated is unconstitutional. Action of the self-styled majority bloc’ is in total disregard for the rule of law. The opinion of the Attorney General has no legal effect on the Supreme Court ruling, as it is deemed irrelevant.”
THE SUPREME COURT ruled, invalidating the election of Representative Richard Koon as Speaker of the House of Representatives and declared the legislative actions undertaken by his so-called “majority bloc” unconstitutional, unauthorized, and without legal effect.
THE DECISION, HANDED down on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, by the High Court, came as a definitive response to an amended Bill of Information filed by the now former embattled House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and his allies. The filing alleged that Koon and members of the “self-styled majority bloc” flagrantly violated the Court’s December 6, 2024, opinion and final judgment on the constitutional requirements for legislative sessions and leadership.
“THIS COURT EMPHATICALLY declares that it is within the power and authority of the Supreme Court of Liberia to say what the law is without fear or favor, irrespective of the parties before the Court,” the opinion read.
CENTRAL TO THE Court’s decision is its reaffirmation of Articles 33 and 49 of the 1986 Constitution, which designate the Speaker—or in their absence, the Deputy Speaker—as the only constitutionally recognized presiding officers of the House. “The Constitution provides that a quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the members of the Honorable House of Representatives,” the Court stated, “but such quorum must be presided over by the presiding officer defined under Article 49 of the Constitution as the Speaker, and only in his absence, the Deputy Speaker.”
THE COURT FOUND that Rep. Koon’s assumption of the Speakership and the proceedings he led were illegal, pointing out that former Speaker Koffa was never absent and was actively presiding over legitimate sessions at the time. “Speaker Koffa not being absent to preside over plenary sessions, the Deputy Speaker or any representative for that matter could not legally preside over any plenary session,” the Court ruled. “Any action or sitting by the majority to the exclusion of the Speaker presiding while he is present and available to preside is unconstitutional and without the appeal of the law, and we so hold.”
FOLLOWING THE SUPREME Court’s final opinion in the Legislative leadership crisis, the so-called ‘majority bloc’ outrightly rejected the court’s opinion and vowed to continue their business as usual. Days later, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai acknowledged the High Court’s opinion but said his administration would work with a quorum of the House of Representatives. Ironically, the majority bloc decided to file a petition to the very High Court it had defied, for rehearing of arguments of the Bill of Information. The public reaction to the so-called ‘majority bloc’ and the President’s decision were mixed. Some Liberians took issues with President Boakai that he was undermining the rule of law and the Constitution of Liberia.
AS LIBERIANS WAITED anxiously when the Supreme Court would assign the hearing and subsequent legal re-argument, the Rule of Law Caucus having negotiated behind the scenes with several state actors and prominent Liberians, a decision was reached between them for former Speaker Koffa to resign for governance to be restored in the Legislature and the State. And on Monday, May 12, 2025 former Speaker Koffa tendered in his resignation as Speaker of the 55th Legislature.
BUT INTERESTINGLY, few hours following the resignation of the former embattled House Speaker, Cllr Jonathan Fonati Koffa, the controversial House Speaker, Mr. Richard Nagbe Koon, too, tendered in his resignation from said post. Since November 2024, Koon, a lawmaker representing Montserrado County’s district #11 in the legislature, has been enjoying all the perks as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
GIVEN THE ABOVE, the resignation of the controversial Speaker Richard Koon has supported the Supreme Court of Liberia’s opinion in the Legislative leadership crisis that declared the unconstitutionality of every business conducted under the gavel of Koon. Rep. Koon is said to be one of the candidates vying for the Speaker position for the new elections that are expected to be held today.
HAVING SUBSTANTIATED THE High Court’s ruling, Representative Koon could face probable investigation from the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) for imposing as Speaker of the House of Representatives, where he received huge financial incentives, benefits and salaries that he should not have received as Representative of Montserrado County District #11. There could also be charges for breaking into the official offices of the Speaker of the House of Representatives as well as ordering the breaking in of Representative Yekeh Kolubah’s vehicle because he had parked his vehicle in a place Koon said was reserved for his vehicle as controversial speaker.
BEARING ALL OF these in mind, we call on the Government of Liberia to act in accordance with the laws of the land in dealing with what has transpired over the last eight months and that those who violated the laws of Liberia as well as illegally took huge sums of monies and received benefits and given incentive that were not due them, should face the law. If that does not happen the probability exist that the next government will take action to right the wrongs that have been done as the Supreme Court was right all along.
