The judge of the Monrovia City Court, Ben Barco, has forwarded a sexual assault case allegedly involving, a commissioner at the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) Mohammed E. Fahnbulleh and a female staff of the same institution to Criminal Court ‘E’ at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia.
Fahnbulleh was charged with Sexual Assault, which according to the law is menacing and disorderly Conduct by the Monrovia City Court following a complaint by a staff of the institution who accused him of using inappropriate languages to her, claiming the he, the accused, sexually assaulted her by touching some private parts of her body without her consent during an inaugural ball of the staff association in 2022.
Fahnbulleh has since denied the allegation, and claimed at the time that he was targeted by some members of the Board of Commissioners (BoC) who are using some media institutions like the Inquirer, for his stance against corruption and the misuse of the INCHR’s properties.
Judge Barco adjudged that he lacks legal jurisdiction over the case and forwarded same to “Criminal Court ‘E’ for adjudication.
The Penal Law: Title 26 Liberia Code of Law Revise states that “A person who knowingly has sexual contact with another person or causes such other to have sexual contact with him or her, when they are not married to each, has committed a second-degree misdemeanor if the actor knows that the contact is offensive to the other person when such other person is not a voluntary social companion or has not previously permitted sexual liberties to be taken…”
Since his employment at the INCHRI in 2022, Atty Fahnbulleh has been in the middle of several controversies, including the recent death of a 32-year-old man who allegedly committed suicide at the Salem Police depot in the Airfield Community.
In 2022, Fahnbulleh was investigated by a special committee set up by the commission on allegation of sexually harassing a female colleague of the commission.
But Fahnbulleh maintianed that his stance against corruption at the Commission is causing some of his colleagues to frame him in various scandals to remove him from his post at the INCHR.
In two separate protestations against Mr. Fahnbulleh, anti-Fahnbulleh protesters have called for his resignation and face trial for his alleged involvement into the sexual assault against a female colleague and his alleged involvement in the case that led to the death of 32-year-old Prince Wreyou who allegedly committed suicide by hanging on April 12, 2024.
The families of the deceased accused Fahnbulleh of paying tucks who arrested and tortured Prince before handling him Fahnbulleh who took him to the police, where he met his untimely demise.
They believe that Prince may have died in prison from injuries he sustained from the torture at the hands of those who arrested him.
