The continuous claims and counterclaims against each Commissioner at the Independent Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) are beginning to undercut as well as undermine the workings of the Commission to a greater extent.
Recently Commissioner Atty. Mohammed Fahnbulleh is still battling an issue of integrity from two female employees of the Commission who have accused him of sexually harassing them as well as having sexual affairs with other women in his office under the pretext that he would offer them job or ensure that their names got on the entity’s payroll; a claim that Commissioner Fahnbulleh has vehemently denied.
As part of the ongoing battles at the government’s lead human rights institution, Commissioner Fahnbulleh has written members of the Board of Commissioners, copy of which is in the possession of this paper, accusing the Chairperson Cllr. T Dempster Brown of violating Article 15 of the Commission’s Code of Conduct titled “Tenure of Commissioners” specifically numbers 3 and 4.
15.4 state: “A Commissioner shall not engage in any other occupation, business or profession or any other activities for which he or she is paid.
“A commissioner shall not hold any position incompatible with the proper performance of his/her position incompatible with the proper performance of his/her official duties. Within ten days following his or her appointment and before taking office, he or she must resign from any position incompatible within this section or with the office of Commission, otherwise the nominated person is barred from accepting the appointment”.
Exception to the above-mentioned provision of the Act is found in the National Code of Conduct specifically #9.10 receipt of double emoluments which states “Official & employees of government shall not, while receiving or being paid salary by any other public office unless it is established that such additional employment is in the public interest (e.g. Teaching at public educational institutions).
“I do hereby report to you that the Chairperson is in active legal professional work with his private NGO, “The CENTER FOR THE PROTECTION of HUMAN RIGHTS”. I have discovered that he did not resign from said institution and is always there using the INCHR’s vehicle to run said institution,” Commission told Board of Commissioners.
Fahnbulleh displayed a photograph of what appeared to be the Chairperson assigned vehicle parked near a building, a place he claims to the office of chairperson Brown’s private NGO marked exhibit 1to form a cogent part of this documentation.
Fahnbulleh alleged that the Chairperson most recently represented his private client in the case titled “Brother Kloh and Kloh, Administrator intestate of the late Sara Kloh versus Martha Nyankoon. He signed and filed all court documents as the lawyers representing the plaintiff by and thru the Center for the Protection of Human Rights- attached is instruments signed and filed by him in April, 2022 marked exhibit P/2, to form part of this documentation.
In his closing comment, Commissioner Fahnbulleh said “Cognizance of Article 14 number 2 of the Commission, I request the Board to take seize of this matter and investigate it immediately”.
If the code of Conduct as quoted is something effective to hold violator than three commissioners are said to be conflicting with the law- because contrary to the Code of Conduct as indicated above, Commissioners Pela Boker-Wilson of the Department of Complaints Investigation and Monitoring (DCIM) and Pindarious of the Department of Internal Monitoring and Evaluation (DPIME) are equally violating the CoC. Commissioner Boker Wilson is an instructor and well paid at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of laws at the University of Liberia.
Besides, Commissioner Pindarous Allison is another is still attending at the law school when in fact the job is a full time job for qualified lawyers or individual who have certain skill set, specifically in law, human rights law, human rights studies or related course of studies
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