Embattled House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa made what could be termed as a triumphant entry in the country after a long visit to the United States of America, amid being listed as a person of interest in the burning of the capitol building last December.
Scores of citizens gathered at the Roberts International Airport on Saturday, February 8, 2025, to welcome the Grand Kru lawmaker back home, and were heard chanting songs of praise as the embattled speaker disembarked the VIP terminal of the airport.
In a brief interview with journalists upon his arrival, Koffa said he was in the United States to undergo some medicals examinations but had to cut his trip short after receiving information that he was named a person of interest in the ongoing capitol arson trial and had returned to the country to cooperate with the investigation.
Asked about whether he would return to session as part of his lawmaking duty, Koffa said he wouldn’t find himself in legislatives sessions without getting clarity from the Supreme Court concerning its ruling in the illegal taking over of the speakership by Representative Richard Nagbe Koon and the Majority Bloc.
“With all of the issues we have at the court now, before we make a determination of our approach to session, my presence in session may be more unproductive than productive. So right now I will hold on until we hear from the court. We have two issues at the Supreme Court- the illegal removal and the bill of information we filed after the Minister of Justice misinterpreted the court’s ruling and the so-called majority bloc started to act consistent with that,” he said.
Koffa said the court is under obligation to clarify the constitutional matter before it in the best interest of the country. Meanwhile, the embattled speaker says he will not pay attention to the recent notice issued by rebel-styled Speaker Richard Koon to have him evicted from the official office reserved for the speaker of the House, saying, the same way the majority bloc took the speakership, they should use the same illegal means to take over the office.
The embattled speaker made it clear that he won’t resign the position for any reason, and as speaker, he won’t sit under the gable of a presiding officer not permitted to do so by him (Koffa).
