Liberia Capitol fire: Ex-speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa charged with arson
Liberia's former speaker of parliament has been charged with arson over a fire at the nation's House of Representatives, local police have said.The huge blaze broke out last December, a day after plans to remove Jonathan Fonati Koffa from his role as speaker sparked protests in the capital, Monrovia.Koffa had been locked in a stand-off with his political opponents, with dozens of lawmakers voting for his impeachment in October over accusations of poor governance, corruption and conflicts of interest.Police said on Friday that there were "credible links" to suggest Koffa was "strategically involved" in the incident. Five other lawmakers have also been detained in connection to the case.Koffa has previously denied any connection to the fire breaking out.
Police chief Gregory Colman said Koffa had been charged with a string of offences including arson, criminal mischief, endangering other people, and attempted murder.Colman said Koffa had used his office and staff "to co-ordinate sabotage efforts from as early as November 2023", according to news agency AFP.Koffa and several other lawmakers were summoned to the Liberian National Police headquarters on Friday as "persons of interest" in the case, local media reports. The former speaker and three sitting members of the House of Representatives were then remanded to Monrovia Central Prison on Saturday, newspaper FrontPage Africa reported.
The blaze on 18 December 2024 destroyed the entire joint chambers of the West African nation's legislature. No one was inside the building at the time.The day before had seen tense protests over the plans to remove Koffa, with demonstrators including an aide to former President George Weah arrested.Several individuals, including Koffa and Representative Frank Saah Foko, were brought in for questioning by police.Foko, a prominent figure in the House of Representatives, allegedly uploaded a video to Facebook in which he said: "If they want us to burn the chambers, we will burn it."A team of independent US investigators brought in to assist the investigation concluded that the fire was set deliberately.Liberia's House of Representatives has been beset by a long-running power struggle.Although the bid to impeach Koffa fell short of the two-thirds majority required, the group of 47 lawmakers who had voted for the move unilaterally appointed their own speaker.Last month, Koffa resigned as speaker after months of political deadlock.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Polling on Elon Musk glaring red light for Republicans
Even as Elon Musk and President Donald Trump no longer appear to be on speaking terms, the Tesla CEO's popularity among the Republican base is on the rise, according to polling. Trump and Musk's friendly relationship came to a dazzling end on Thursday as their disagreement over the Republicans' spending package went into full bloom. Musk called the bill, which significantly increases the deficit, a 'disgusting abomination.' Trump said his former friend had gone 'crazy' as Musk called for his impeachment and removal and claimed that the president is included in the 'Epstein Files.' He later deleted that post. While Musk isn't set to take over as the top figure in the Republican Party, he could create chaos surrounding the GOP's agenda and its plans for the 2026 midterms. Seventy-six percent of Republicans see Musk favorably, according to the most recent poll by The Economist and YouGov. Meanwhile, just 18 percent view him unfavorably. According to a poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena College in late April, 77 percent of Republicans view Musk favorably. Since the start of the second Trump administration, Musk's popularity has been over 70 percent in most polls, Politico noted. The billionaire is more popular than House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, or almost anyone else in the GOP. Among Republicans, both Trump and Vice President JD Vance are more popular than Musk, with 87% and 80% approval, respectively, according to the Economist /YouGov survey. Musk's polling strength with the Republican base may partly be rooted in the fact that GOP voters believed in the mission of the Department of Government Efficiency from the outset, with almost 90 percent backing the notion that the government needs to be downsized. A recent Harvard-Harris poll found that about the same percentage of Republicans believe that DOGE has been effective at scaling back spending. Meanwhile, Democrats and independents are less likely to trust DOGE's accomplishments and are much less likely to view Musk favorably. Fifteen percent of Democrats and 34 percent of independents have favorable views of the billionaire. Musk may become a dangerous rival for the Republican Party, whose values align with the DOGE mission of cutting spending and reducing the deficit. Musk's wealth and social media influence as the owner of X may pose a threat to Trump and his party. This comes as Trump told NBC News on Saturday that he has 'no intention' of speaking to Musk or attempting to repair the relationship. 'I'm too busy doing other things,' said Trump. 'I have no intention of speaking to him.' 'I would assume so, yeah,' he said when asked if his relationship with Musk was over. 'I think it's a very bad thing, because he's very disrespectful. You could not disrespect the office of the President,' he added. He also issued a threat, saying that Musk will face 'very serious consequences' if he chooses to use his significant wealth to fund Democrats. Musk's opposition to the spending bill could lead the billionaire to fund challengers to Republicans who voted in favor of it. 'If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that,' Trump told NBC News.
BreakingNews.ie
2 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Zia Yusuf returns to Reform UK just 48 hours after quitting as chairman
Zia Yusuf is returning to Reform UK just 48 hours after quitting as party chairman, claiming his resignation was a 'mistake'. The 38-year-old businessman said his decision to stand down had been the result of 'exhaustion' and working for 11 months 'without a day off'. Advertisement Party leader Nigel Farage, speaking to The Sunday Times newspaper alongside Mr Yusuf, said the former chairman will now effectively be doing 'four jobs', though his title has not yet been decided. Mr Yusuf's new formal title is yet to be decided (Stefan Rousseau/PA) He will lead Reform's plans to cut public spending – the so-called 'UK Doge', based on the US Department of Government Efficiency which was led by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The ex-chairman will also take part in policymaking, fundraising and media appearances. Mr Yusuf said he was quitting Reform following the latest in a series of internal rows, in which he described a question to the UK prime minister concerning a ban on burkas from his party's newest MP as 'dumb'. Advertisement Announcing his resignation on Thursday afternoon, he said: 'I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.' Mr Yusuf said he had been left feeling undervalued by some in the party and drained after being subjected to relentless racist abuse on X, and made the comments in 'error'. 'I spoke to Nigel and said I don't mind saying I made an error. It was a function of exhaustion,' he said. Asked about the row over talk of banning the burka, Mr Yusuf said he 'certainly did not resign because I have any strong views about the burqa itself' but felt blindsided by Sarah Pochin's question to Sir Keir Starmer. Advertisement He said that 'if there were a vote and I was in parliament, I would probably vote to ban it actually' but that 'philosophically I am always a bit uneasy about banning things which, for example, would be unconstitutional in the United States, which such a ban no doubt would be'. Reform will hope the show of unity between Mr Farage and the former chairman is enough to quell concerns about internal personality clashes, amid recent scrutiny of the leader's fallings out with former allies. It follows the suspension of MP Rupert Lowe from the party following complaints about his conduct, which he denied, and suggested the leader had a tendency to row with colleagues he felt threatened by. Labour branded Mr Yusuf's return a 'humiliating hokey-cokey' and said working people could not afford 'the risk of economic chaos with Reform UK'. Advertisement Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves said: 'Reform's revolving door shows that the party is all about one person – Nigel Farage. 'Zia Yusuf's humiliating hokey-cokey is laughable but there is nothing funny about Farage's £80 billion in unfunded commitments. 'His reckless plan is Liz Truss's disastrous mini-budget on steroids and would spark economic chaos that increases bills and mortgages. 'Working people simply can't afford the risk of economic chaos with Reform UK.' Advertisement
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE All the ways that Trump blocked Elon Musk's agenda and Cabinet picks despite spending MAGA millions
President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk shared a delicate political dance in the 130 days that the president's one-time 'first buddy' who professed to love him 'as much as a straight man can love another man.' It appeared to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship that sparked fascination as the world's richest man enjoyed the company of the world's soon-to-be inaugurated world's most powerful man. After Trump won the presidential election with historic margins, Musk was among the euphoric crowd that gathered at Mar-a-lago and began plotting the future of the administration. The eclectic billionaire was gleeful as a he hung around Mar-a-lago with his son 'Little X,' even renting one of the cottages at the club and appeared with the president frequently throughout the holidays. Trump was grateful for Musk's support and allowed him to attend meetings where they discussed cabinet nominees. He sat on calls with foreign leaders, attended personal meetings and even helped vet potential candidates. Musk's presence and unfamiliarity with politics frustrated some of the president's staffers as he tried to insert his preferred choices ahead of other potential candidates, according to reports. But Trump appreciated having Musk around, as they celebrated his election victory. 'Elon won't go home. I can't get rid of him. Until I don't like him,' Trump told Republicans during a speech after the election. Just weeks after the election, Musk openly solicited social media reaction for Trump's choice for Secretary of Treasury describing Scott Bessent as a 'business-as-usual' candidate and said that Howard Lutnick would 'actually enact change.' 'Business-as-usual is driving America bankrupt, so we need change one way or another,' he wrote. Musk was personally closer with Lutnick, but Trump ultimately chose Bessent, despite lobbying from Musk. Trump ultimately directed Musk to the DOGE effort, as the billionaire famously claimed he could save the federal government up to $2 trillion dollars. But putting Musk in charge of government cuts was a headache for cabinet members as Musk tried to control their agencies. 'Rubio never liked him, but a lot of them did not like him,' a person familiar with the dynamics of the president's cabinet told the Daily Mail. The State Department dismissed the claim. 'Nobody has time for silly gossip. Secretary Rubio is completely focused on carrying out the President's agenda on behalf of the American people,' a senior State Department official told the Daily Mail. Bessent clashed with Musk after he convinced Trump to drop Musk's choice as acting Internal Revenue Service commissioner for a nominee of his own choosing. Details of the disagreement leaked into the media, as both men reportedly shouted at each other as reports described the scene as 'quite loud.' A March incident with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Musk was also reported, as the New York Times reported he was 'incensed' after Musk said he had fired 'nobody' in his agency. The pair debated in front of the president, but Trump conceded that secretaries would be in charge of firing employees in their agencies. Transportation secretary Sean Duffy also debated with Musk, complaining he was trying to fire his air traffic controllers at a time of multiple plane crashes in the. United States. Trump remained patient with Elon despite criticisms behind the scenes about his efforts, and publicly supported him in front of the press. 'Is anybody unhappy with Elon? If you are, we will throw him out of here,' Trump said after a cabinet meeting in February. Trump's cabinet members laughed but nobody voiced any dissent from Musk's presence in the meeting. Elon's efforts to insert himself into major government policy and infrastructure deals were also frustrated. Musk's dream, a person familiar told the Daily Mail, was to implement his xAI throughout the entire federal government in an effort to both make the government more efficient, but to also make his AI stronger with the federal government's data. But Trump continued to work with other major tech billionaires on the AI issue, even some of Musk's enemies. In February, Trump sidestepped Musk to announce a major AI infrastructure deal branded as Stargate with OpenAI's Sam Altman, Musk's former business partner and current nemesis. After Trump appeared with Altman to announce the $500,000 billion project, Musk was left fuming on social media asserting 'they actually don't have the money.' Elon also tried to block the Stargate investment partnership in the United Arab Emirates after learning his xAI company would be excluded. Despite Musk's protests, the deal was announced when Trump visited the UAE. Musk was also opposed to Trump's Big Beautiful Bill after learning included a ten-year ban on state regulations, a provision sought by Altman to boost the development of AI, according to a source. Musk was also thwarted when he tried to convince Duffy and Republican lawmakers to use his Starlink satellite internet system to modernize and replace the current FAA air traffic control system. Although Musk claimed he had no interest in saving government subsidies for electric cars, the Republican Big Beautiful Bill passed in the House of Representatives included provisions to repeal tax credits for the purchase of electric cars, as administration officials posited it might be why he was upset by the bill. The most crippling blow in the Trump/Musk relationship happened after details leaked to the New York Times in March that the Pentagon set up a briefing for Musk that would include plans for any war that could break out with China. Behind the scenes, Trump reacted quickly. 'What the f**k is Elon doing there? Make sure he doesn't go,' he said, according to Axios. He later insisted on social media that 'China will not even be mentioned or discussed' in the briefing with Musk. 'Once that leaked, it really had a dramatic transformation on Trump's opinion of him,' it was really a big turning point,' a person familiar with the administration told the Daily Mail. Trump remained patient with Musk although support for him started to fray within the administration as they waited for his 130 day period as a special advisor to the president. Even after Musk voiced concerns with the Republican bill making its way through the House of Representatives, Trump wanted to make sure they were leaving on good terms. Together they defended Musk's efforts to slash government waste, fraud, and abuse even as the billionaire appeared wistful as he prepared to leave the White House. Trump even gave Musk an elaborate golden key to the White House, as a sign he valued his service. When reporters asked if Musk would remain an informal advisor to Trump, the billionaire replied, 'I mean, yeah, I expect to remain a friend and an advisor, and certainly if there's anything the president wants me to do, I'm at the President's service.' Six days later, he erupted on social media, marking another chapter in the long history of frustrated business and political leaders failing to work together.
