Former House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and several other defendants in the ongoing Capitol Building arson case are seeking an independent medical examination to establish alleged brutality by the National Security Agency (NSA). Koffa and thirteen other defendants’ legal team formally objected to a court order mandating medical examinations at the government-run John F. Kennedy Medical Center (JFK).
Koffa and others, through their lawyers, filed a motion requesting an independent medical examination, alleging that several of the defendants were subjected to torture and abuse while in the custody of state security agencies. This came after Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie of Criminal Court “A” ordered JFK to medically assess six of the detained defendants to determine whether they had been tortured or sodomized during their time in NSA custody.
Judge Willie’s order emanated from the defendants’ claims that key evidence, such as phone call logs, had been extracted through coercion and abuse. “The Court realized that there is one ground that is factual, and that ground is torture and sodomization; so, it decided not to do the ruling today but to find out through medical investigation as to whether the defendants were tortured,” Judge Willie stated.
He then directed the court clerk to liaise with JFK, via the Monrovia Central Prison, to conduct the medical examination and report findings to the Court by Tuesday, September 9, 2025. But, defense lawyers objected to Judge Willie’s reliance on JFK, citing its affiliation with the Government of Liberia and a formal memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Justice to provide medical services for pretrial detainees and prisoners; they argued that such a relationship creates a conflict of interest and undermines the credibility of any medical assessment conducted by the medical institution (JFK).
In the defendants’ motion, they described the alleged mistreatment of their clients as “egregious,” asserting that several of the accused have suffered persistent medical issues, particularly painful urination and reddish urine since their detention at NSA headquarters. They cited reports of blurred vision, allegedly caused by the use of intense lighting during interrogations.
The motion reads: “These symptoms are not only indicative of urinary tract infection and ocular trauma but are consistent with the effects of severe beatings and waterboarding inflicted by agents of the NSA and the defense lawyers argued that failure to immediately provide medical care could result in irreversible damage or even death, in violation of the defendants’ constitutional rights.
“If they are not properly medically examined or treated by a team of independent medical practitioners other than the government-owned JFK Hospital,” the lawyers warned, “their infections and appalling conditions could graduate to a more severe case that could lead to their deaths, contrary to law.”
The defendants’ motion underscored their clients’ lack of trust in any medical investigation carried out by a government agency or affiliate. “The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Justice and the National Security Agency, is prosecuting this Capitol Building arson case; as such, JFK, being a parastatal of the government, is not clothed with the requisite independence to conduct this medical examination,” the motion stated.
The lawyers urged the court to grant “compassion and humanitarian consideration” and authorize the immediate transfer of the defendants to an independent medical facility for evaluation and treatment. They added that the accused are currently unfit for continued pretrial detention due to their deteriorating medical condition, and that visible scars and bruises on their bodies corroborate their claims of abuse.
However, state lawyers have not responded to the defense’s motion for an independent medical examination. Koffa and others continue to emphasize the urgency of their request, arguing that the alleged torture represents a grave human rights violation that demands swift and impartial medical review.
