-As His Wife Files Lawsuit Demanding Financial Transparency in Joint Property
By Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia, Liberia – Majority Bloc Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon finds himself battling simultaneous personal and political crises as his wife of 25 years files a lawsuit demanding transparency over their joint properties, while his controversial leadership faces mounting political and judicial scrutiny.
Madam Angeline Mamie Worloh Koon, the wife of Majority Bloc Speaker Richard Koon, has filed a petition before the Commercial Court of Montserrado County, demanding a full accounting of income from their jointly owned rental properties.
Koon along with his group (the Majority Bloc) has also been in court for months over what embattled Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa and his minority members see as a hijack of the House of Representatives Leadership and other unorthodox actions that favor Koon who was “fraudulently” elected as Speaker in November last year.
According to court documents, the couple acquired land in the Unity Conference Central, Hotel Africa Road community in 2004 and constructed five duplexes (ten apartments) in 2005. The properties were leased out beginning in 2007, with an initial reported income of $5,110 USD. However, Madam Koon alleges that her husband has withheld financial updates for the past 19 years, excluding her from all management decisions.
In her petition, she claims Koon has failed to disclose rental income since 2007. He has solely controlled the properties without her input. The apartments are occupied by tenants without her knowledge.
The buildings have deteriorated due to poor maintenance.
The Commercial Court has ordered Speaker Koon to appear on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, to respond to the allegations. If he fails to attend, a default judgment may be entered against him.
The couple, married for 25 years, jointly invested in the properties as part of their shared assets. Madam Koon’s legal action highlights growing tensions over financial transparency within high-profile marriages.
As of press time, Representative Richard Koon has not publicly commented on the lawsuit.
Last Wednesday, Liberia’s Supreme Court slammed the Majority Bloc of the House of Representatives over what it considers their defiance of judicial orders and constitutional procedures in their quest to unseat Speaker J. Fonati Koffa.
The turmoil erupted on October 17, 2024, when dissident lawmakers attempted to oust Koffa, later electing Richard Nagbe Koon as rival Speaker on November 21. Despite the Supreme Court invalidating Koon’s faction, the Executive Branch and Senate controversially endorsed it, deepening institutional chaos.
Recent months saw alarming developments: including the Majority Bloc’s authorization of forceful treatment of colleagues, and 22% of legislators suspended, leaving constituencies voiceless as well as the forceful break-in into a lawmaker’s vehicle, under the instruction of Koon. Koon has since considered himself a “regime speaker”.
