Dismissed INCHR Officials Reject Corruption Claims

By Lincoln G. Peters

MONROVIA, Liberia, August 7, 2026 – Two dismissed senior officials of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) have challenged their dismissal, insisting that no audit or financial investigation has implicated them in wrongdoing and describing allegations of financial mismanagement as fabricated and without evidence.

Former Executive Director Atty. Urias Teh-Pour and former Director for Planning Baw Wah Brownell made the assertions during a press conference in Monrovia on Thursday, a day after the INCHR Board of Commissioners announced their dismissal.

On August 5, the Board dismissed the two officials with immediate effect, citing what it described as grave administrative misconduct, financial mismanagement, and acts amounting to criminal impersonation while they were under suspension.

In a statement, the Board said the action was taken in accordance with Section 37 of the INCHR Staff Handbook, Article 16 of the INCHR Act of 2005, and the National Code of Conduct for Public Officials.

Responding to the allegations, Teh-Pour and Brownell said accusations made against them, particularly by former Commissioner Mohammed E. Fahnbulleh, were false and unsupported by evidence.

They specifically rejected claims that they mismanaged funds from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), arguing that the allegations reflected a fundamental misunderstanding of the Commission’s financial procedures.

“No complaint has been filed against us, and no audit or investigation has implicated us,” the two former officials said. “These accusations are fabricated.”

They maintained that allegations of corruption require credible evidence, including investigations, forensic audits, and a legal basis.

“Corruption allegations require evidence: investigation, forensic audit, and legal foundation. In the absence of these, they are rhetorical,” they stated.

According to the dismissed officials, all INCHR financial transactions undergo multiple layers of verification and require prior approval from the Internal Audit Agency before funds are disbursed.

They argued that claims that funds were siphoned from the institution were inconsistent with those financial controls.

Teh-Pour and Brownell also said the Commission has consistently undergone independent external audits by Moore Stephens & Co. and the General Auditing Commission (GAC), which they claimed found the institution in compliance with international accounting standards and proper public financial management.

The two officials said they were responding not to fuel a public dispute but to protect the integrity of the Commission, its staff, development partners, and the Liberian public.

They further claimed that Fahnbulleh’s tenure as commissioner expired on July 31, 2026, and said matters relating to the appointment of a new board are being addressed through legal processes.

In addition, they alleged that Fahnbulleh was never certified by the Independent Committee of Experts (ICE) as required under Article 9(3) of the INCHR Act of 2005.

According to them, his appointment was made through political influence rather than the statutory selection process.

The dismissed officials further accused Fahnbulleh of using political influence to intimidate members of the Board of Commissioners and alleged that he opposed the publication of the Commission’s investigative report into the July 26, 2022 student protest in which Walter Seville was seriously injured.

They claimed the report was never released despite testimony gathered during the investigation, alleging that political considerations took precedence over the Commission’s human rights mandate.

The INCHR Board has not publicly responded to the latest allegations made by the dismissed officials.