Following his clearance for the crimes of alleged sexual assault, sexual harassment, menacing and disorderly conduct by the Monrovia City Court, Commissioner Atty. Mohammed El-dust Fahnbulleh, Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INHCR), has in return filed a US$2 million lawsuit against his accusers for damage by defamation of character.
The case is being filed by Commissioner Fahnbulleh against Beautrice Wesseh, J. Kenedy Kolubah, former staff president at the INHCR, and Cllr. Margaret Nigba Gayedyu.
It can be recalled that Atty. Fahnbulleh was arrested on June 10, 2022, after authorities alleged he sexually assaulted a female employee, Beatrice M. Wesseh. The Ministry of Justice then, through Wesseh, filed the charges against Atty. Fahnbulleh.
According to Wesseh, on June 10, 2022, at about 9:45 p.m. in Sinkor, while dancing with her friend, the then defendant Fahnbulleh approached her from behind and began to touch her breasts and buttocks. When she turned around to confront him about his action, he allegedly blew cigar smoke in her face.
The accused then filed a motion for dismissal of the case on ground that the accusation was false and misleading, but the Monrovia City Court then denied the motion.
The Stipendiary Magistrate of the Monrovia City, Ben Barco, later transferred the case to Criminal Court “E”, which has jurisdiction over crimes such as rape, gang rape, involuntary sodomy, voluntary sodomy, corruption of minors, sexual abuse of wards, and sexual assault, among others.
However, following some legal proceedings, the case was ordered dismissed out of the docket of the court for prosecution due to what the court described as “lack of sufficient evidence” to prosecute, thus reserving the right to re-file if the need arises.
Accordingly, on the heel of this clearance, the INHCR Commissioner filed the legal action against the trio for “damages” on his reputation.
In the civil suit against the three defendants, Beatrice Wesseh, Kenedy Kolubah & Cllr. Magaret Nigbe Gayedyu, Commissioner Fahnbulleh claims that his career, profile, professional and family life as well as his position as Commissioner of a Human Right Institution have been injured and ruined.
In his legal suit on Monday, March 3, 2025 before the City Court, Commissioner Fahnbulleh indicated that, as a result of such actions, he lost his young marriage, a job opportunity and the abrupt closure of the immigration process for his children to move to the United State of America.
He further averred that the lies circulated by his accusers were published in the local dailies and broadcast on several radio stations, which defamed his reputation.
He maintained that the defendants’ allegations were communicated to Geneva, the United Nations, which resulted to several discussions and the exchanges of several communications between civil society organizations and the Independent National Human Rights Commission during the reaccreditation process for the “A” status for the INCHR.
“The CSO action was then seeking the removal of Commissioner Fahnbulleh because, according to the them, the allegation made against him declared him unfit to serve as commissioner at a national human rights institution under the Paris Principle for National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI).”
He further disclosed that “the false allegation has ruined his reputation to the extent that, when his name is google, these negative stories pop up from several online media outlets”.
In his 32-count complaints with 23 exhibits attached, the Commissioner informed the court that during trial he will provide witnesses to testify to all counts and pieces of evidences contained in his suit.
He is therefore seeking US$1,500,000 in general damages and US$500,000 in special damage for defamation of his character, lost opportunities for him and his children who solely rely on him for survival, livelihood and education. Additionally, for the mental agony and emotional trauma he suffered during the dissemination of said false allegations.
According to Commissioner Fahnbulleh, the objective of the suit is not only financial, but also to ensure the wrong doers account for their malicious and devilish deeds.
He said he wants the main accuser, Beatrice Wesseh, to confess publicly the name(s) of powerful individual(s) within the National Human Rights Commission that took advantage of her impoverish condition to manipulate her to transgress and overreach into commissioners’ disagreements on accountability and transparency as well as weaponizing her to make verbal ballistic attack on his reputation by placing her to being a victim of an imaginary incident.
The writ of summon by the Sheriff from the Civil Law Court was then served on J. Kenedy Kolubah along with his fiancé Beatrice Wesseh on Monday, March 3, 2025.