By Nyenplu Wiñyan Ju
His name is Richard Nagbe Koon, the representative of electoral District #11, Montserrado County. Koon entered legislative politics in 2011, when he declared his intention and participated in the legislative and presidential election but was later defeated as an independent candidate by Unity Party contestant, Gabriel Nyankan, in 2011.
2017, Koon fought Nyankan and was successful in putting Nyankan out of the UP ticket,
contested and won the representative seat and later began the district 11 representative in 2017.
Due to his dismount performance, the citizens of district 11 were unanimous and resolved to replace Koon in his second term bid with Dr. Thomas Nimely Tweh, alias Original Countryman. He alleged that he covertly used some contestants to challenge Dr. Tweh, domicile right at the Supreme Court. Dr. Tweh was disqualified by the court, thereby paving Koon’s way for his second term.
Koon, being a very rascal politician allegedly traded grades for votes as an instructor of accounting at the state-run University of Liberia when he compelled students to register in his district during the 2011 and 2017 voter registration process, Koon allegedly compelled all students in his class session to register in his district for free passing grades and that would Constitute their final exams. This dishonest strategy could not help him because he was very conserved, proud, and unpopular with the residents, so he was flogged by Nyankan in 2011.
He repeated this similar scamming tactics and behavior during the 2017 voter registration process and was successful because Montserrado County district 11 is predominantly occupied by Unity partisans.
Koon is a man of clandestine deeds, some of which is hurting him nowadays. He allegedly has been getting away with clandestine deeds and operations, but this time, his hands are caught in the cookies jar in his attempt of multiple marriages and refusing to honor his wife divorce request.
The question is, can Koon be impeached or expelled? The answer is yes, Richard Nagbe Koon can be suspended or expelled for act incompatible to his standard as senior government official. As a matter of fact, our penal law, criminal procedure law, frowns on multiple western marriages by an individual without divorce. It is a criminal offense that is tantamount to 2nd degree felony.
Unfortunately, Koon family members blindly came to his defense by claiming that Koon’s wife Cecelia Kpoh Koon is his biological sister. So, if what the family allegedly said is true, then Koon could be charged for incest that could not let him off the hook. if Koon’s wife is his sister according to Koon’s family members, then Koon had committed serious social offense against the state by incest. Incest is having sexual relationships with a family member.
All of these offenses are grieved and offenses of high magnitude that must not be ignored by his colleagues.
In Liberia, it is imperative to indicate that a public official can be impeached or expelled for fraud, including a fake marriage under the broad legal standards defined in the 1986 Constitution of Liberia.
Within the Liberian jurisprudence, impeachment is not reserved or limited to “work-related” crimes; it extends to personal misconduct or conduct that proves an official unfit for the dignity of public office to lead.
Controversial Koon can be removed on several counts of misconduct as a cause as mentioned by Article 49 of the 1986 Constitution which among other things calls for the election of a speaker, deputy Speaker once every six years and can be removed for a cause. Koon should have been suspended or expelled long before this time for gross misconduct as a cause for removal. Let us catalog his recent actions that constitute gross misconduct.
- The burning down of the joint Chamber under his watch as the so-called speaker.
- Instructing the intrusion or breaking into the office of legitimate speaker, J. Fonati Koffa without a court verdict.
- Instructing the police to drill and burst into the vehicle of another lawmaker.
- Multiple Western marriage without a divorce.
- Having sexual relationship with his biological sister (Incest) is forbidden under our law.
- Allegedly selling grades to students for votes.
- Koon allegedly uses his sister to fraudulently beat the US Immigration process to have access entering the United States of America.
- A lady on spoon talk show confirmed Koon Nigerian citizenship Nationality.
In his removal process, there are steps that should be followed by those plenary members calling for his removal. Even though he had failed to give due process to his colleagues, Speaker Fonati Koffa. Here are a few steps that should be followed to remove him.
If the House decides to move against the Speaker:
- There should be Resolution: A member of the House should file a resolution on the basis of a “Removal for Cause” backed by Article 49 of the 1986 Constitution or “Expulsion” under Article 38 which authorized the House of Representatives to make her rules and remove him in keeping with their rules. When the resolution is submitted to the plenary, the body will make a determination to call for his refusal to allow the Deputy Speaker to act while the speaker goes through the investigation. Under the doctrine of due process, the speaker is allowed to have legal counsel and testify in his defense before the house investigation committee. If found culpable, the committee could recommend his punishment, either to be expelled or suspended by a Simple Majority vote or
Two-Thirds Majority vote that could permanently remove him from the Speaker’s position or expel him from the House as a member.
