The internal wrangling at the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) drags on as the chairperson of the Board of Commissioners, Dempster Brown, orders the Finance Department to withhold the salaries of four commissioners.
Those affected include Pindarous Allison, Pamelia Doe Pavey, Neveda Risks, and Mohemmed Fahnbulleh.
According to a communication to the comptroller, Chairman Brown cited low performance, absenteeism as well as illegally representing the Commission on public radio and functions as the basis for his action.
The letter reads, “…You are therefore requested to withhold the salaries of these commissioners including Pindarous Allison, Pamelia Doe Pavey, Neveda Risks, and Mohammed Fahnbulleh for poor performance, delinquency, and improper conducts towards the institution that contravene the Act that established the Commission.”
On June 19, 2024, Allison admitted to the Chairperson his employment as a full-time lecturer at the University of Liberia and communicated with the comptroller about his multiple capacities as an instructor and student at the University of Liberia as well as a Commissioner at the INCHR.
Article 15 (3&4) of the INCHR Act states that “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 or her official duties. Within ten days following his or her appointment and before taking office, he or she must resign from any position incompatible with this section or with the Office of Commission, otherwise the nominated person is barred from accepting the appointment.”
Contrary to said provision within the INCHR Act, Allison, a lecturer in the Department of English and Literature at the state-run University of Liberia, is also a student at the Arthur Grimes School of Law.
Brown said, “Act. 16.1 says that all employees working at the Commission shall be under the discipline, supervision, and functional control of the Commission. This is why I have taken disciplinary action against them,” noting that the withholding of the salaries of the affected commissioners is in line with several Counts including 2.3.4, and 3.9 of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights.
“Upon accepting to work for any institution, it is required that all will abide by the principles and standard operation procedures (SOP) that govern said institution. No one is above the law,” he said.
Brown had complained that affected commissioners do not report to work, and if they do, they will not put in the required hours of work time that are required by the SOP, noting, “People will come to work at their own time and pace. None of the affected commissioners can show what they have done in terms of achievable over the three years of their appointment. I am not moved by people’s sentiments. We were brought here to work and that is what is expected of us.”
Since they were appointed commissioners, the INCHR has been the center of conflict with each trading allegations of corruption, theft, tribal and religious interest as well as inconsistency in the rollout of their duties.
In less than three months of their appointments, Fahnbulleh and his team became vocal against Chairman Brown and accused him of corruption, nepotism, tribalism, and ineptitude, claiming that their chairperson lacked the required credentials to head such an integrity institution.
Recently, the same group of individuals under the banner of “Majority Bloc of the Board of Commissioners” cited numerous integrity issues that they believed Brown was guilty of and called for his removal as chairman of the INCHR.
Section 3.9 of the SOP requires 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 to be valid, he/she shall immediately convene a meeting with the Board of Commissioners, sitting as a body, to look into the complaint, to resolve 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.”
It is almost forever that the conflict between Fahnbulleh, who is facing charges of sexual assault, sexual harassment, menacing, and disorderly conduct at the Criminal Court ‘E’, and Brown, whom he (Fahnbulleh) claims are corrupt and lack the integrity to head Commission has gotten to the attention of the Presidency, thereby prompting the Legal Advisor of the President to set up a Special Investigating Committee (SIC).
Predicated upon said provision in the SOP, the Executive Mansion intends to intervene to bring sanity to the institution.
Many civil society organizations and human rights groups believe that the unending conflicts between the chairman and his subordinates have contributed to the institution’s lack of donor support, leading to operational paralysis and hindering its progress toward achieving its goals.
