Criminal Court “C” has ordered the insurance surety backing the criminal appearance bond of defendant Nora Finda Bundoo to provide an additional US$1.34 million to meet the court’s US$8 million bail threshold.
Assigned Circuit Judge Ousman F. Feika issued the ruling on September 1, 2026, following a hearing on Bundoo’s motion to justify surety after prosecutors challenged two criminal appearance bonds filed on her behalf.
Bundoo is among several defendants indicted by the Montserrado County Grand Jury on November 5, 2025, on allegations including money laundering, theft of property, misuse of public money, property or records, criminal conspiracy, forgery and criminal facilitation.
The court said this was the third hearing concerning the justification of Bundoo’s criminal appearance bond.
According to the ruling, the court previously set the bond threshold at US$8 million in a July 21, 2026 ruling after earlier sureties were found insufficient.
Two insurance companies, Accident and Casualty Insurance Company (ACICO) and American Underwriters Group International Insurance Company (AUG), subsequently filed bonds for Bundoo.
The court found ACICO’s US$6 million bond sufficient, stating that the company’s current assets, after liabilities were considered, met the threshold required for the bond.
However, the court rejected AUG’s US$2 million bond as insufficient after examining the company’s financial position.
The ruling states that AUG had current assets of US$3,208,309 and current liabilities of US$2,790,319, leaving a balance of approximately US$417,720.
After accounting for the US$2 million bond, the court determined that AUG would need to provide an additional US$1,582,280 to satisfy its portion of the bond requirement.
The court also recognized a previously approved US$240,000 property valuation bond filed by Kai Garlo Farley.
With the approved sureties taken together, the court calculated Bundoo’s available bond coverage at US$6,657,720, leaving a shortfall of US$1,342,280 against the US$8 million threshold.
“The combined value of the Criminal Appearance Bond/Property Valuation Bond filed by both sureties of movant now stands at US$6,657,720,” Judge Feika stated in the ruling.
The court further explained that Liberia’s Constitution recognizes an accused person’s right to bail, but said that right must be exercised within the requirements of the law.
“Article 21(i) of the Constitution of Liberia recognizes the right of an accused person to bail,” the ruling states, adding that bail must nevertheless be sufficient in light of the gravity of the charges.
The court cited Chapter 13, Section 13.2 of the Criminal Procedure Law, which addresses the amount of bail required in criminal proceedings.
Judge Feika also noted that potential restitution in the event of a conviction was a factor considered in determining the appropriate bond.
The court ultimately ordered AUG to augment its bond by the required amount within 30 days from the date of the ruling.
“The Court, therefore, orders that the difference in the amount of the AUG bond be augmented within thirty (30) days as of the date of this ruling to satisfy the bond threshold set by this court,” the ruling states.
The court said that once the additional amount is provided and the bond satisfies the required threshold, it will be approved in accordance with law.
In the meantime, Judge Feika ordered that Bundoo’s passports and other travel documents remain in the custody of the court until the conclusion of the case.
The ruling was issued against the backdrop of the prosecution’s objection that the bonds initially presented were inadequate to secure Bundoo’s appearance throughout the proceedings.
Bundoo and the other defendants remain subject to the criminal charges pending trial and final determination of the case. The allegations contained in the indictment have not been proven in court.
