Top Lawyer Arrested, Released For Forgery

By: Barclay Karnley Jr

MONROVIA: One of Liberia’s leading human rights barristers, Cllr. T. Dempster Brown, has been arrested on allegations of forgery.

Cllr. Brown who is also suspended Chairman of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR), was arrested by court officers on Wednesday, October 7, 2026.

Cllr. Brown’s arrest followed a formal complaint filed by the INCHR before the Monrovia City Court at Temple of Justice on Capitol Hill. Cllr. Brown is currently before the court.


The suspended Chairperson of the INCHR has been accused of forging the signatures of fellow commissioners on a court petition.

The writ, issued on Wednesday October 7, 2026, by Stipendiary Magistrate, Cllr. L. Ben Barco, directs the court officers to arrest Brown and bring him before the court to answer to the criminal allegation.


According to the writ, Cllr. Brown knowingly and intentionally forged the signatures of INCHR commissioners on a petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus that was presented before a court without their knowledge, acquiescence, or consent.



The alleged conduct constitutes an offense under Liberia’s New Penal Law, according to the court document.

Brown’s arrest comes amid a prolonged dispute between him and other commissioners of the INCHR.

In an earlier case, several commissioners challenged Brown before the Supreme Court of Liberia, accusing him of exceeding his authority by withholding their salaries.

Brown, however, maintained that he had administrative authority to take such action against commissioners who allegedly failed to report to work.

The Supreme Court, in an opinion delivered by Justice Ceaineh D. Clinton-Johnson, ultimately upheld Brown’s administrative authority in the salary dispute.


Tensions within the Commission, however, continued, with Brown later facing allegations that he forged commissioners’ signatures on a habeas corpus petition.


The allegation subsequently formed part of complaints against him and has now resulted in criminal proceedings and his arrest.

Cllr. Brown, a human rights Lawyer, was later placed on the criminal defendants’ bench but was subsequently released after a bond was filed. The matter remains before the court.

Cllr. T. Dempster Brown remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction as requires by Liberian Law.