Colonel Gregory O.W. Coleman, the Inspector General of Police, has refuted claims that state prosecutors or the Liberia National Police (LNP) paid Capitol arson suspect John Nyanti a bribe in return for his testimony against former House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and other MPs.
IG Coleman stressed that the police followed the law and called Nyanti’s allegation of a US$200,000 bribery offer untrue during the Ministry of Information’s routine press briefing on Thursday, June 18.
Nyanti was legally brought back to Liberia on June 6, according to IG Coleman, who also explained that the suspect made both written and videotaped confessions while his attorney was present.
“When he was brought in based on the request of the family members who assisted in this process, we gave him a chance to speak with him and to test the legitimacy of his willingness to assist in the investigation,” IG Coleman said.
“In the process, it was proven that indeed, he could not be trusted. He was already charged in absentia even before he was arrested, as such he was brought at Central Headquarters and subsequently turned over to the court. At no point in time did we ever intend to make a deal with him, or to even promise him what he claimed.”
Public members, political analysts, and representatives of civil society expressed reservations and inquiries about the case’s treatment after Coleman’s statement.
Irene Kollie posted on social media, asking how a criminal suspect might be held as a witness against both himself and the people he is accused of committing the crime with. Make sense of it.
“You said the man escaped because of a crime he allegedly committed, but you are negotiating with the very suspect to have him testify against himself for you,” she went on. Whoa… Therefore, why didn’t the IG bring up the bribery issue when negotiating with Mr. Nyanti?
Additionally, Alex Saykor posted a comment on Facebook: “All right, so he fled, and his family sent him back to testify.”
Additionally, he questioned why Koffa Nyanti, Nyanti’s cousin, was appointed as Special Envoy for Trade and Investment and Ambassador Plenipotentiary. “The appointment raises serious questions about whether backdoor political arrangements are being used to reward government positions,” Johnson added.
Liberia’s Capitol Building
Legislative operations were interrupted by the Capitol Building arson incident, which also sparked a significant criminal investigation. Persons of interest in the investigation included former Speaker J. Fonati Koffa, Dixon Seboe, Abu Bana Kamara, and Jacob Debee, all of whom were connected to the then-dominant CDC.
