A Verity News online post has reawakened memories of the Capitol Building arson case which has not been heard of since Supreme Court Justice-in-Chambers, Yussif D. Kaba, placed a stay order on the proceedings, setting back the matter that generated national interest.

It is nearing four months since Justice Kaba’s stay order, signaling that that the matter has been abandoned apparently because of the lack of sufficient evidence to press charges against the accused.

The stay order came in the wake of a writ of prohibition filed by lawyers representing former House Speaker, J. Fonati Cooper, and others accused of masterminding the fire that gutted the Capitol Building, seat of the Liberian Legislature in late December 2024.

In the writ, the defense team requested the Supreme Court to prevent the lower court from proceeding with the trial.

Since then, all activities in the case before the Criminal Assizes ‘A’ at the First Judicial Circuit Court in Montserrado County have been at a standstill.

As the days and months pass by, there are more public concerns about what or who may be stalling the progress of this high profile case involving some members of the first branch of the government, including former Speaker, Koffa.

The fire broke out just a few days after a two-thirds majority vote of members of the House of Representatives ousted the House Speaker on several charges, including administrative ineptitude.

Till now, the cause of the fire remains a mystery. While some Liberians think the former House Speaker conspired with his co-defendants to ignite the fire, some think it must have been a coincident or an attempt to justify his removal.