Prosecution 1st Witness, Officer Rafell Wilson’s Testimony Continues Next Tuesday
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia– Lawyers representing former House Speaker, J. Fonati Kofa and three other sitting Representatives and other Capitol Building arson suspects have rejected government lawyers’ documentary evidence. while its first witness was about to testify and identity them in the Criminal Court “A”.
The rejection of the documentary evidence was done by Koff, his three colleagues—Representatives Abu B. Kamara, Dixon Seboe and Jacob Debee and others on Wednesday, December 3,2025
The defense rejection came at the result of statements taken from some of the defendants forcibly through alleged torture and sodomies.
The defense claimed that their clients didn’t write those statements by brought by the Liberia National Police which the prosecution wanted their first witness Rafell Wilson of the Crime Services Division of the police.
Claim defendants were forced to sign statements
According to the defense, some of those defendants named in the indictment are not standing trial and some of the defendants currently on trial names were misspelled and they were forced to signed statements written by the police themselves and forced their fingers to sign in the absent of lawyers.
The Defense prayed that court disallows all the statements taking from the defendants because it was gathered through torture means which the Liberian constitution of 1986 Article 21(a) and Article 20 is highly against.
Earlier in the morning, prosecution brought their first witness officer Rafell Wilson to testify as to what he knows through his investigation.
Officer Wilson took the witness stand explained each of the defendant role in the alleged burning of the Capitol building seat of the Liberian Legislature on December 18,2024.
During his testimony on the direct, officer Wilson made a power point presentation which was projected in court and audio recordings.
After his power point presentation through projector, he was asked by the prosecution whether he can identify those statements made by the defendants during police interrogation and he answered in the positive something which triggered defense action to object to said document.
Prosecution argued that under their procedure lawyers are not expected to object to any document when it hasn’t been testified and identified to.
In addressing the torture and sodomies issues, prosecution said, both the lower court and the Supreme Court have passed on it and it’s disheartening to see the defense raising same issues which have been decided and therefore, the defense lawyers should be held in contempt.
Prosecution cited Chapter 17.2 of the Criminal Procedure Law to back their arguments and therefore, the defense objection should be denied.
Arguing their side of the objection, county attorney Richard Scott Jr. said, the objection by the defense lawyers is premature because the evidence hasn’t been marked adding such evidence can be objected when a mark of identification has been placed on it.
Prosecution prayed the court in keeping with law, that their evidence met all requirements and therefore, it should be admitted into evidence and deny the defense objection and grant them all legal reliefs.
Partial rejection, partial denial
In deciding the objection, Criminal Court “A” Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie partially granted the defense objection and partially denied portion of it.
Judge Willie granted the portion of the defense objection to remove statements of those who are not trial and denied the portion where defense said, Thomas Etheridge, Kivi Bah, Eric Susay and Stephen Broh and others’ statements should stand as evidence.
During ruling, Judge Willie said, even though the medical doctor from AMI Expeditionary Health Care confirmed torture but didn’t state the date and time when the Toto place.
In fact, the defendants during the medical examination declined the sodomies examination and denied being sodomized and his court ruled on the matter which the defense took exception and went to the Supreme Court and Chambers Justice declined to issue the writ of Certiorari.
He further said that, the defendants were represented by lawyers and if they were sodomized, they could their lawyer during the police investigation not to sign the statements taken from them.
As to the issue of discovery raised by the defense team, prosecution was instructed to turn over every pieces of evidence in their possession to the defense team prior to the commencement of the trail.
Meanwhile, prosecution first witness Rafell Wilson testimony continues to next Tuesday December 9,2025 after which, the defense team will have the opportunity to cross examine him.