Africa-Press – Liberia. Monrovia, Liberia, April 28, 2026 – The simmering dispute over Liberia’s proposed War and Economic Crimes Court (WECC) is taking a new twist as Dr. Jallah Barbu, Executive Director of the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court for Liberia (OWECC-L), has fired back at Cllr. Dempster Brown, Chairperson of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR), over the establishment of regional offices and the use of public funds.
Speaking on a local radio on Monday, April 27, Barbu said Brown has “no clear understanding” of the Executive Orders signed by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai that created OWECC-L, arguing that the office is mandated to decentralize outreach to victims and survivors nationwide as part of preparatory work ahead of the court’s establishment.
He said the decentralization plan has informed the opening of regional offices intended to bring the process closer to communities outside Monrovia, and to make eventual court operations “credible and inclusive” when the WECC is formally constituted.
But Brown has accused Barbu of jumping the gun, arguing that creating regional structures before the court is enacted by law amounts to a “misapplication” of government funds. Brown warned that mismanagement could undermine Liberia’s transitional justice drive and called for accountability for expenditures tied to the outreach expansion.
In his response, Barbu dismissed Brown’s claims as “baseless” and went further to question Brown’s legal standing, alleging on air that the INCHR chair is not licensed to practice law. Barbu insisted the Executive Order outlines OWECC-L’s role, including public outreach and mobilization of victims and survivors in their localities.
“The regional offices are not wasteful spending; they are essential to bring justice closer to the people,” Barbu said, maintaining that victims and survivors outside the capital must be part of the process. He also claimed that opposition to the court’s push is often driven by people “afraid of accountability.”
OWECC-L was created by presidential Executive Order to spearhead preparatory work for the proposed WECC and a companion Economic Crimes Court, including coordinating outreach and other groundwork pending legislative action.
The dispute has also spilled into questions about spending and the quality of draft instruments being prepared for the court. While Brown contends that the outreach expansion is premature, Barbu says funds are being used for preparatory activities authorized under the Executive Order and that technical work, including draft frameworks, is being developed with expert input.
What Next
For its part, OWECC-L says it will continue nationwide engagement as it lays the groundwork for the proposed court, while urging institutions and partners to work together, not at cross purposes. The office maintains that victims of Liberia’s civil wars are owed a justice process that is timely, inclusive and accountable.
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