Commissioner Mohammed Fahnbulleh, who is in the glare of the controversy at the Independent Human Rights Commission (INCHR) says no amount of tactics can prevent him from exposing the financial malpractices and administrative improprieties at the governmental rights commission.
Addressing journali sts yesterday evening at a local hub after being prevented from holding his press conference in the premises of the INCHR Compound by Chairman Dempster Brown, Fahnbulleh described the reported sex scandal as a distraction to the real issues the Commission is currently plagued with.
Fahnbulleh challenged any staff or Commissioner who will display a proof of him having sexual affairs in his office adding, “I will resign immediately.”
He alleged that there are serious issues of corruption, conflict of interest and favoritism that the Chairperson is masterminding rather than the alleged sex scandal slammed on him.
Fahnbulleh maintained that the reported sex information circulated at the Commission is false and aimed at silencing has continuous efforts to fight corruption and other issues at the Commission.
“He singled me out and brought about this sex scandal because I have the history of standing up against corruption; I am firmed and he thinks he can quite me with this,” Fahnbulleh fights back.
He further reiterated that if the Commission’s Chairperson and any other persons accusing him of being in such act come up with any valid communication as to substantiate their claims against him, he will resign the same day.
“They said I am having sex with women before giving them job; I and the other three Commissioners are not responsible for hiring staffers. It is the Chairman and administrator responsibility to hire; so how then can that be possible? he wondered.
“There should have been five commissioners appointed by the President at the Commission, yet only three have been appointed and the other two are yet to be appointed but the Chairperson is taking the other two commissioners who have not been appointed salaries from the Ministry of Finance and he calls it a ‘float’,” he expressed.
Fahnbulleh stated that the salary and position of Humphrey Massaquoi, whom he maintains is the son of Cllr. Brown, remains unstable as he becomes the Technical Assistant and or Executive Secretary at one point and Chief of Office Staff at other functions while his salary has increased from an initial amount of U$ 510.91 to U$ 1,110.91 without the consent of the Board of the entity.
“We have written the GAC to come and do an audit of the commission which we are expecting soon. We boycotted the security training event before for some of these many concerns and are willing to go into a vote of no Confidence against Cllr. Brown to end this,” he intimated.
Fahnbulleh said the spotlight is placed on him because in a communication of a notice for non-participation in the security training under the signature of him and two of the other Commissioners namely Pela Boker-Harris and Pindarous W.T. Allison, the trio informed the Chairperson that the issues at the Commission have the sole purpose of derailing efforts currently being undertaken to ensure that the affairs of the Commission are steered in the right direction.
He explained, among many other things that in the trio Commissioners’ communication, they acknowledged the Chairperson about what they termed as a flagrant disregard and reversal of the Board’s decision taken on Friday May 20, 2022 particularly.
He explained that the Board of Commissioners acting pursuant to its statutory mandate voted in favor of a three-member committee comprising the aggrieved trio who were entrusted the responsibility of looking into averments made by the comptroller during that May 20, Board meeting.
In the communication which is in the possession of this paper, the trio said the comptroller’s claim concerned the continuous remissions of the salaries of outstanding commissioners not yet appointed by the President; the existence of the staff payroll that did not mirror the domain payroll house with the Ministry of Finance and the arbitrary addition of staff to the venire of employees.
The three Commissioners’ communication further informed Chairman Brown that the comptroller also provided that the existence of a dual payroll system has been shared with the GAC auditors conducting national head count.
Fahnbulleh, Allison and Boker-Wilson then reminded the Chair that on the said information, the BOC found that the admission was at odd with the standard financial and administrative practices and as such it is a basis for which the fact finding team was set up to conduct an informal non-audit inquiry.
The three Commissioners said to their surprise, a fortnight after, Brown’s Technical Assistant emailed the BoC and all technicians assigned, citing that as per the Chairperson’s order, the committee was immediately dissolved and that all concerns should be refrained from operating with the committee.
The communication further stated that the committee approached the Chairperson immediately citing that any decision from the Board cannot be overturned by a single commissioner; not even the Chairperson adding, “In addition to your blatant refusal to reverse your instruction, you defended in the most condescending of tones and gesture that as chairman of the Commission you could reverse any decision undertaken by the Board.”
“We hasten to remind you that article XI 4 of the Act establishing the Commission provides that the decision of the majority of the Commissioners present at a meeting thereof should be the decision of the Commission,” they reminded their head.
Other issues highlighted in the communication for the boycott which is the niche of the Commissioners’ ‘dirty linens’ being brought to the public are the usurpation of the assigned functions of other departments citing the department of complaints, investigation and monitoring as well as the arbitrary creation and filing of positions in which they cited the recent recruitment of the Director of the Finance, Director of Education and Information as well as the Executive Director.
The three aggrieved Commissioners stated that all vacancies were filled in violation of the Standard Operating Procedures of the Commission, the Public Financial Management Laws, the Public Procurement Laws and the Labor Law of Liberia.
As for the issue bordering on Legislative and Treaty Matter, Commissioners Fahnbulleh, Allison and Boker-Wilson placed the Chairman on records by reminding him that several months ago Fahnbulleh was stripped off his function as oversight Commissioner of that department due to statement fond unsatisfactory and despite the Commissioner’s submission to the process and overtures by the Board and OHCHR, Fahnbulleh has not been restored his rights and responsibility of oversight.
Other allegations levied against Chairman Brown by the Commissioners is that the Commission currently has a barrage of staff appointed soley by him under the nomenclature of ‘temporary staff’ and that under the Commission’s current budget, there is no line for consultants, contractors, and or temporary employees.
The Commissioners also complain that Brown continues to portray his personal views as those of the BoC and that they are taken aback as he expresses his personal views on radios as well as in the print media as if they were from the entire BoC making specific reference to the Commission’s statement on the death of Princess Cooper and the security incident in Lofa County.
Lastly, among allegations levied which could apparently be the basis for the feud is that the three Commissioners have engaged Chairman Brown regarding his alleged uncivil approach towards them.
According to them, they are disheartened that Brown continues to disregard their opinions during board meetings and flagrantly dismisses their views in a rather disrespectful manner as he walks out of called meetings when decisions or the discussions are not in his favor stressing, “Shouting and talking down at Commissioners, threatening Commissioners that he will ensure that the President dismisses them or he would place hold onto their salaries and at some point that they should leave their phones with his security before entering a meeting with him.”
….Investigation continues
