The Legal Advisor to President Joseph Boakai has set up a Special Investigative Committee (SIC) to investigate allegations of misconduct, financial improprieties, acts of corruption, and breach of the Act establishing the INCHR.
In a communication to the Commission, a copy of which is in the files of this paper, Bushuben Keita said, “We believe that these allegations are grave and require investigation as it affects the reputation of the INCHR. Hence, we have set up a Special Investigation Committee (SIC) under the guidance of the Legal Advisor of the President, to investigate this administrative matter. The SIC members Cllr. Aloysius Jappah, Cllr. George Sagbeh and Cllr. Bendu E. Clark will be contacting you soon.”
Keita’s communication is in response to a complaint by a member of the Board of Commissioners, Mohammed Fahnbulleh, requesting the attention and intervention of the officer of the Legal Advisor to the President.
Fahnbulleh, who is facing charges of sexual assault, sexual harassment, menacing, and disorderly conduct at the Criminal Court ‘E’ at the Supreme Court of Liberia has been in a word of war with Dempster Brown, chairperson of the Commission.
Since his appointment at the commission in 2021, Fahnbulleh has accused his boss of administrative miscarriage, financial misconduct as well as nepotism, something for which he has written several national and international partners including foreign embassies accredited near Monrovia for their intervention.
Count 3.9 of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights requires that, under the caption ‘Complaint and Dispute involving Commissioners and Officers’ states that, “A complaint made against a commissioner or any dispute involving a commissioner will be promptly reported to the Chairperson.
If the Chairperson considers the complaint valid, he/she shall immediately convene a meeting with the Board of Commissioners, sitting as a body, to look into the complaint, with a view to resolving it, as soon as possible.
In the event a complaint or dispute involving a Commissioner is a grave misconduct, [beyond the control of the Commission], the Chairperson shall refer same to the President. Disputes between Commissioners emanating from divergence of opinion on issues shall be referred to other Commissioners /colleagues [internally].
If the dispute is not resolved internally, the same shall be referred to the Civil Society including eminent citizens. As far as possible, disputes of this nature shall not come to the attention of the President. [Remember, a failure or inability to achieve internal cohesion disturbs your autonomy]
This provision of the SOP is intended to avoid interference from the executive and other government functionaries
Many individuals, both in the civil society organization and within the commission see the supposed intervention of the officer of legal advisor to the President as a gross violation of the INCHR’s SOP, and a direct interference of the Executive in matters beyond its reach.
Mr. Keita is being accused by many persons of interfering in matters that concern the judiciary, legislative as well as integrity institutions.
