MONROVIA, LIBERIA-The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Cllr. Fonati Koffa and fourteen others have responded to their criminal indictment at Criminal Court ‘A’ with a “Not guilty” plea.

 Cllr. Koffa and others’ “Not guilty” plea has shifted the ‘Burden of Proof’ on lawyers of the Government of Liberia to prove their claims against the accused, consistent with Chapter 25, Section 25.5 of the Criminal Procedure Law of Liberia.

Following the defendants’ plea, the court adjourned the matter for Tuesday, November 18, 2025, to allow the selection of jurors after Cllr. Koffa’s legal team prayed on the court for a jury trial.

Before the reading of the indictment by the Grand Jury of Montserrado County, the case was engulfed with a series of pretrial motions, coming from the defendants.

Some of their motions include: motion to suppress evidence, and motion to quash the indictment, among others, which were all denied after being argued before the lower court and the Supreme Court.

Cllr. Fonati Koffa and the fourteen others are on trial for allegedly burning a portion of the Capitol on December 18, 2024.

They were charged with arson, endangering the lives of others, criminal conspiracy, criminal attempt to commit murder, and criminal facilitation, among others.

The damaged portion of the arson attack is estimated at over eight million US dollars.