Africa-Press – Liberia. A full jury was on Wednesday, November 26 seated, at Criminal Court ‘A’ that would make a determination to the Arson’s Case that involved former Speaker Cllr Fonati Koffa and six other defendants including three sitting lawmakers
But, the jury selection had a rocky start with the denial of a prosecution’s request for dismissal of the only remaining previously selected juror identified with a number# 130-9819, who they claim was captured on a photograph at the campaign launched of Montserrado County District #15 Representative Abu Kamara, a member of the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), and one of the co-defendant.
Presiding Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie, however, began the dismissal judgment by explaining the prosecution’s motion, based on Article 11(b), of the 1986 Constitution, which says that “All persons, irrespective of ethnic background, and the New Jury Law, that provides the requirements or elements for the disqualification from serving jury duty.”
Willie explained that a juror must not be prone to biasness or conflict.
The ruling stated that the Bill of Information as provided to this Court did not prove that this juror is prone to biasness or conflict of interest for disqualification because of a mere photo.
The prosecutor, whose motion was denied, had argued that the photos were obtained from a social media post.
But, before the ruling, the juror indicated that she is not on the photo, she claimed that her mother is in the photo.
Further in his ruling, Willie said, the first thing is, these photos were presented to the Court as is, there is no witness that testified to this photo.
Secondly, according to Willie, the photos as presented did not or the person who presented it did not show any proof that these photos are the photos of the juror in question, and the matter is even worse that the juror in question has stated that she is not in this photo.
Willie asked, so, what is left with the Court is to base its ruling on what could be the disadvantages of such a photo as referring to an individual or what can we say about its authenticity.
“All of the photo as pointed to by the Prosecution with a pen does not reflect the photo that is on the jury management form,” Willie noted.
Discrediting the photos, Willie emphasized that the photo could be derived in such a manner and form because the world is now dominantly controlled by Al usage in the creation of social media content, and as the caption of this photo reads, it says “Women of Hope for CDC with two others and it has there “Paulita and Abu all the wayyyy..”. The assumption there is that the caption of this paper is possible that it can be done by an expert in graphic design.”
“Having stated that,” Willie ruled, “the Bill of Information as hereby filed by the Prosecution to have the juror rejected from the panel is hereby denied and the juror will remain thereon for proper standing. AND IT IS HEREBY SO ORDERED.
It all started on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, upon the selection of the empaneled jurors for the trial of the case, the prosecution filed a Bill of Information, to the court, alleging that it has in its possession photos of juror J30-9819, and that this photo that has several women in it believe to be CDCians were on a campaign program and that in that photo, is Juror J30-9819, and that campaign was being held in favor of Abu Kamara who is one of the Defendants in these proceedings.
Prosecution further stated that to keep this juror in the trial jury will be tantamount to keeping a jury in the empanel jury who is prone to conflict of interest and biasness.
To further substantiate its claims, the prosecution provided to this court two sheets containing several females that are allegedly part of the Abu Kamara campaign team, and among which is also alleged that Juror J30-9819 is present.
In resistance to that application, defense told the Court that the sheets containing photos as presented are just flying sheets that could be dotted, and this Court should have it thrown out of this Court.
Defense also stated that the sheets containing the photos were not testified to by any witness in order to authenticate that the photos as herein contained which is attributed to juror J30-9819 and they further stated that there is no source for which this Court should take the photos.
The defense also argued that assuming that this photo is the photo of J30-9819, it is the constitutional right of the Juror to be a member of a political party, which rights cannot be taken away from her.
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