MONROVIA – The Monrovia City Court is poised to announce its ruling today, Friday, June 13, regarding the high-profile arson case involving former House Speaker Counselor Jonathan Fonati Koffa and three co-defendants. This comes after the conclusion of final legal arguments presented to the court.
During the proceedings, defense attorneys contended that the charges against their clients should be dismissed, arguing that crucial evidence was obtained from cell phones not owned by the defendants. They claim this constitutes a violation of legal protocols specified in Chapter 11.10 of the Criminal Procedure Law.
Former Associate Justice Wilkins Wright, representing the defense, emphasized that the evidence in question is irrelevant and should be deemed inadmissible. He urged the court to suppress the contested data and to dismiss the case entirely.
In contrast, state prosecutor Cllr. Richard Scott countered the defense’s motion, arguing that it had been submitted too late in the process and that the defense had previously failed to contest the admissibility of the evidence. Scott maintained that once evidence is admitted in a court of law, it is the responsibility of the judge to consider it in their deliberations.
Magistrate L. Ben Barco indicated before Friday, that the court finds that the pieces of evidence submitted by the prosecuting team, has met the admissibility criteria, a conclusion that the Supreme Court had previously upheld in earlier proceedings of the case. As the courtroom awaits the judge’s final decision, the community continues to follow the developments closely, given the prominent figures involved in the case.
