Liberia: Lawyer for Alleged Rape Victim Questions Police Exoneration of Suspended Deputy Minister Mcgill

Summary:

The lawyer for a 14-year-old girl who alleges she was raped by a former deputy minister is challenging police findings that cleared him, calling the investigation incomplete and insufficiently transparent.
Liberian police say telecommunications data, CCTV footage, and DNA results excluded Bryant McGill from the alleged crime, while the Ministry of Gender urged investigators to continue the case and identify the perpetrator.
Rights advocates warn that closing the case without full disclosure risks undermining public trust, as sexual violence cases continue to rise in Liberia.

The lawyer for a 14-year-old girl who said she was raped by J. Bryant McGill, a former senior Liberian government official, is questioning the credibility of police findings that cleared the man, deepening public debate over accountability and transparency in sexual violence cases involving powerful figures.

Tiawan Gongloe, the veteran human rights lawyer and former presidential candidate who is representing the girl and her family, said the police conclusions were premature and lacked transparency.

Gongloe said the police had only recently asked his client to return the child for additional DNA testing — a request he said undermined claims that the investigation was complete.

“Just a few weeks ago, police were asking me, ‘Can you get to your client to bring his daughter?”‘ Gongloe said. “They said they want to do another DNA.”

He said he had formally requested the full investigation report, arguing that transparency would protect both the family and the credibility of the police.

“We need to know what went into the report,” Gongloe told FrontPage Africa/New Narratives. “What came to the public is summaries. I want to see a detailed report. Keeping it will create more doubt. And that will not be good for the image of the police.”

Gregory Coleman, Liberian police chief, told a news conference Monday that, “the telecommunications and GPS data conclusively excluded Mr. McGill’s presence at the alleged crime scene.”

“CCTV footage did not support claims of his presence,” said Coleman. “DNA forensic results, which are now being received, exclude Mr. McGill as a contributor to biological material recovered from the victim’s clothing. Based on the totality of digital, forensic, and physical evidence, the Liberia National Police exonerated Mr. Bryant McGill from this investigation.”

Liberia has limited forensic DNA capacity and usually sends DNA for testing in the United States or Europe. Coleman confirmed, in his press conference, that the DNA had been tested “through international forensic partners.”

On Tuesday, J. Bryant McGill himself addressed a press conference at his lawyer’s office, maintaining that he had no contact with the girl and was not present at the location where the alleged rape occurred.

“I will not litigate this matter in the media,” said McGill. “But I will also not accept injustice or silence in the face of verified truth.”

He said he empathized with the girl and her family and called for the arrest of whoever committed the crime.

“We pray sincerely that the perpetrator of this crime will be found and prosecuted,” he said.

Coleman said the police had not officially received such a request, but Gongloe provided FrontPage Africa/New Narratives with a copy of the correspondence, dated January 13, 2026 and signed for by “INSP:Fayiah at 12:36hrs.” Coleman did not respond to follow-up questions asking for a response, sent by WhatsApp.

Human rights organizations have also raised concerns about the police conclusions.

“DNA results alone do not constitute a definitive conclusion in cases involving serious allegations of sexual violence,” said Tolbert Thomas Jallah Jr., executive director of the Faith and Justice Network in a statement. “Justice must not only be done; it must be seen to be done.”

The organization also called for the public release of forensic and procedural reports, warning that without transparency, public confidence in law enforcement would remain “deeply compromised.”

In September, President Boakai indefinitely suspended McGill over the allegation pending the outcome of the investigation, making him the first official in the Boakai administration to be publicly accused of rape.

Sexual violence remains widespread in Liberia. Reported cases of sexual and gender-based violence rose by 20 percent between 2023 and 2024, with 3,381 cases recorded, according to Laura Golakeh, deputy minister of gender.

McGill is the first official in the Boakai administration to be publicly accused of rape, a crime expert and the Liberian government say is rising. There was a 20 percent surge in sexual and gender-based violence cases in Liberia to 3,381 cases reported between 2023-2024, according to Golakeh.

In a statement, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection urged police to continue their investigation. The ministry called on the police to “swiftly identify and arrest the alleged perpetrator responsible for this heinous act” and said it would maintain “close and continuous engagement” to ensure the case is handled “with the highest levels of urgency, professionalism, and transparency.”

Liberian courts have historically relied on testimony in rape cases. In several cases, including Fallah v. Republic of Liberia, the Supreme Court has ruled that a minor’s testimony, supported by medical or circumstantial evidence, may be sufficient to sustain a rape conviction.A medical doctor familiar with sexual assault examinations, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the absence of DNA evidence was not unusual, particularly given the time elapsed since the alleged incident and the likelihood that the child had bathed.

Gongloe said he remained troubled by what he described as unequal treatment of the accused.

“He was walking around–coming and going,” Gongloe said. “I didn’t see Bryant being treated like someone from West Point or Slipway (low-income, informal settlements). The public must not see a difference in the treatment of a VIP compared to an unknown person.”

By FrontPageAfrica.