The Daily Observer newspaper in its July 16,2026 online and Print edition reported that, the Board of Commissioners of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) has referred its suspended Chairperson, Cllr. Dempster Brown, to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) for a criminal investigation into the alleged unauthorized acquisition and management of a US$20,175 grant from UNICEF Liberia. The Board according to the paper also announced the immediate suspension of the Commission's Executive Director, Atty. Urias Teh-Pour, pending investigations, while raising additional concerns over alleged payroll irregularities involving possible ghost workers and unauthorized salary payments.
The Observer also reported that “Financial records reviewed by the Board indicate that UNICEF transferred US$20,175 to the Commission on October 15, 2025.However, Fahnbulleh alleged that the transaction was never disclosed to the Board and was processed outside the Commission's statutory financial management procedures. The Board according to the paeper further alleged that the signatory arrangement for the project account was altered without its knowledge, leaving only Brown and Executive Director Teh-Pour as signatories while excluding other statutory signatories, including the Vice Chairperson. The Board said it only became aware of the UNICEF-funded project after receiving a letter dated June 24, 2026, from UNICEF informing the Commission that portions of a project report submitted on its behalf had failed to meet reporting standards.
When Contacted for comment, Cllr. Brown according to the paper “strongly denied any wrongdoing. He maintained that, as Chairperson, he was authorized to seek donor funding to support the Commission's operations. When I received the money, I deposited it into the Commission's account. The Gender Unit implemented the project, and we submitted the project completion report to UNICEF and it was overwhelmingly accepted. How would the Board of Commissioners accuse me of misapplication of the donor money?" Brown said.
The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission had not publicly confirmed whether it had formally received the Board's complaint or opened an investigation.
