Liberia: DNA Links Bon Jallah to Evidence, But Rwandan Expert Says Tests Can’t Show When or How It Got There

Forensic report also flags unidentified DNA on toilet paper found at the scene MONROVIA – A Rwandan forensic expert testified Wednesday that DNA profiles recovered from four exhibits in the trial of former National Security Agency staffer Peter Bon Jallah match his reference sample — but cautioned that the finding cannot show when, how, or under what circumstances the DNA got there. By Willie N. Tokpah Pascal Bavugirije, Acting Division Manager of the Biology Division at Rwanda’s Forensic Institute, took the stand as the prosecution’s 12th witness in a trial involving charges of gang rape, statutory rape and kidnapping. His testimony placed an important scientific qualification on one of the State’s central pieces of evidence.

What the DNA Shows According to a forensic report dated January 22, 2026, autosomal STR analysis produced a single male DNA profile from a white T-shirt, a black T-shirt, and shorts collected from the crime scene, as well as a boxer that police identified as belonging to the alleged victim, Hasat Antoine H. B. Amara. The Rwandan institute concluded that all four profiles matched Bon Jallah’s reference sample and that he could not be excluded as a contributor. But a fifth item told a different story. Tissue and toilet paper collected from the scene yielded a mixed DNA profile the lab attributed to unknown persons — one that matched neither Bon Jallah nor the alleged victim. Bavugirije said that profile could still be compared against other individuals’ DNA if they were identified and samples were obtained. A Match, Not a Narrative Bavugirije was clear about the limits of his findings: DNA comparison cannot determine whether force was used, whether there was consent, when biological material was deposited, or the circumstances that put it on an…