Local police say the former president of Liberia is accused of setting fires in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The huge fire broke out last December, the day after plans to cancel Jonathan Fonati Koffa from his role as a speaker, sparking protests in the capital Monrovia.
Koffa was in a stalemate with his political rivals, with dozens of lawmakers voting for his impeachment in October due to allegations of governance, corruption and conflict of interest.
Police said Friday there were “credible links” to show that Cofa was “strategicly involved.” Five other lawmakers related to the case were also detained.
Koffa owns No connections were previously rejected A fire broke out.
Police Chief Gregory Colman said Koffa was charged with a series of crimes including arson, criminal mischief, endangering others and attempted murder.
Koffa has used his office and staff to “coordinate the sabotage work from November 2023”, Coleman said.
Koffa and several other MPs were called to the Liberian National Police Headquarters on Friday, known as “the person of interest.”
The former speaker and three current members of the House were sent back to Monrovia Central Prison on Saturday, according to the African newspaper.
The fire on December 18, 2024 destroyed the entire joint room of the Legislature of West African States. No one was inside the building at that time.
The day before, tense protests were launched on the way to remove Koffa, with protesters including aides arrested by former President George Weah.
Several people, including Koffa and representative Frank Saah Foko, were asked by police.
Foko, a famous figure among the famous House figures, allegedly uploaded the video to Facebook, said: “If they want us to burn the room, we will burn.”
An independent team of U.S. investigators proposed to assist in the investigation and concluded that the fire was intentional.
The House of Representatives in Liberia has been plagued by a long power struggle.
Although the bid for each koffa did not reach the required two-thirds majority, the 47 legislators unilaterally voted for the move formed their own spokespersons.
Last month, Koffa resigned from the position of speaker after months of political stalemate.
