Sierra Leone Telegraph: 26 November 2021:
Presidential aspirant of Sierra Leone’s main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) Dr. Samura Matthew Wilson Kamara and four other former members of staff working at the country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, were yesterday charged to court on various counts of corruption.
It is alleged that all four were culpable in the disappearance of millions of dollars meant for the reconstruction of the country’s Chancery Building in New York.
According to a statement issued by the ACC, Saidu Nallo – Head of Chancery of Sierra Leone’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, Foday Vahfomba Bawoh – former Financial Attache of Sierra Leone’s Mission to the United Nations in New York, Adikalie Foday Suma – former Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone’s Mission to the United Nations, Dr. Samura Matthew Wilson Kamara – former Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MFAIC), Dr. Kandeh Foday Basil Kamara – Financial Attache of Sierra Leone’s Mission to the United Nations in New York, and Jules Sanders Davis – an American Citizen and agent/contractor of the Sierra Leone Permanent Mission to the United Nations, on Forty Eight counts of corruption offences bordering on Failure to Comply with Applicable Procedures and Guidelines relating to procurement, the management of funds, contrary to Section 48(2)(b), Misappropriation of Public Funds, contrary to Section 36(1), Abuse of Office, contrary to Section 42(1), Fraudulent Acquisition of a Benefit, contrary to Section 48(1)(a), Knowingly Deceiving a Principal, contrary to Section 40(3), and Conspiracy to commit a Corruption offence, contrary to Section 128, of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 12, of 2008 as Amended in 2019 respectively.
SAIDU NALLO and FODAY VAHFOMBA BAWOH are jointly charged with Ten counts of corruption offences involving the failure to comply with applicable procedures and guidelines relating to the management of funds, conspiracy to commit a corruption offence, and misappropriation of public funds amounting to Nine Hundred and Forty-Seven Thousand, Four Hundred United States Dollars ($947,400).
He is also jointly charged with DR. KANDEH FODAY BASIL KAMARA on Sixteen counts of corruption offences also involving the failure to comply with applicable procedures and guidelines relating to the management of funds, conspiracy to commit a corruption offence, and misappropriation of public funds amounting to Six Million, Five Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Seven Hundred and Ninety-Eight United States Dollars, and Five Cents ($6,530,798.05.)
Moreover, NALLO is jointly charged with JULES SANDERS DAVIS on Two counts of conspiracy to commit a corruption offence.
FODAY VAHFOMBA BAWOH is separately charged with Ten counts of corruption offences involving the failure to comply with applicable procedures and guidelines relating to the management of funds, conspiracy to commit a corruption offence, abuse of office, and misappropriation of public funds amounting to One Million, Five Hundred and Ninety-Two Thousand, Two Hundred United States Dollars ($1,592,200), being funds meant for the reconstruction of the Chancery Building in New York.
JULES SANDERS DAVIS, who was awarded the contract for the reconstruction of the Chancery building, is separately charged on One count of fraudulent acquisition of a benefit and One count of knowingly deceiving a principal, as he gave requisitions which contained statements that are defective with the intent to deceive his Principal, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
ADIKALIE FODAY SUMA is jointly charged with JULES SANDERS DAVIS on One count of conspiracy to commit a corruption offence, and separately charged on Two counts of the failure to comply with applicable procedures and guidelines relating to the management of funds and the tendering of contracts.
SAMURA MATTHEW WILSON KAMARA is charged with One count of deceiving a principal and One count of misappropriation of public funds amounting to Two Million, Five Hundred and Sixty Thousand United States Dollars ($2,560,000) meant for the reconstruction of the Sierra Leone Chancery Building in New York.
All accused persons will be arraigned before Justice Adrian Fisher on the 10th December, 2021.
Last night, Dr Samura Kamara’s office issued this statement in reaction to the ACC indictment:
“The SamuraKamara2023 Communications Bureau confirms that the ACC has today, 25 November 2021, served on its Principal (Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara) a two-count indictment about the Sierra Leone Chancery Building New York (United States of America).
“Dr. Samura Kamara’s legal representatives are now studying the indictment. We want to reassure the public that Dr. Samura M W Kamara believes in independent and credible institutions. And in his forty years of public service, his unblemished character has never been questioned both at national and international levels.
“We also ask the public to exercise patience and be law abiding. Be rest assured that Dr Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara is in good spirit and looking forward to leading the APC party as the presidential candidate. Dr. Samura Kamara will work very closely with his legal team to continue to clear his Name.”
A few weeks ago, there was commotion on the street of Freetown when Dr Samura Kamara was invited by the ACC for questioning. There was police use of teargass amid protest of Dr Kamara’s innocence.
You can watch this video of TripleA reporting on that incident and appealing for commonsense to prevail:
I think we have to wait and see, if the indicted individuals found guilty including the big boss” Dr. Samura Kamara”, well let’s see what APC party is up to. Will they try to make changes in the party’s policy to re-nominate Mr. Kamara? uh, this would make the Kono man wakes up. But I am quite confidence that the gov’t has all evidence against him before pressing the gas on this case.
Someone tells me yesterday that; APC can turn man to a woman, but my response was yes previously but not now anymore. This is what APC fails to claim during the last election 2018, during the presidential debate, Dr. Kamara revealed some allegation against then candidate” Bio”, saying” Bio steals $18,000000 dollar prior his 90 day in power after he seized power in 1996, well let me say this to you APC, Bio is a smart fellow, when you go down, he goes up. Why don’t you indicted him at the time if you have a strong evidence against him then?.
I believed if you can installed a convicted felon as the country’s vice president, and unconstitutionally removed the constitutionally elected blessed Vice president, of course you can do anything. But let’s reassure that, the State house is not for sale period, we will not elect a person just as an example as a president when he is not.
Since Bush exits white house in 2009, that was it, he longer have any business there no more, this country must go forward. Who’s to be blame for the collapsed of the economy? his answer was the gov’t, I can’t forget that… Bless you our legendary artist musician” Bockarie Emmerson” immediately seized on it, added that to his last powerful music( All man gladi de pa dae kam go). May God bless this country for us. Amen.
The storyline is the same. As Sierra Leoneans we’ve grown used to corruption allegations made against those entrusted with the power of running the affairs of the state, but at the end of the exircise, it becomes a cold case with no outcome .And we are left none the wiser. And corruption in public bodies continues unabated. Indeed in 2018, corruption was the domineering platform used by then presidential aspirant Bio, to convinced the people of Sierra Leone that, if he was elected, he will embarked on a house cleaning exircise, to get rid of the cancer that have eaten away the very fabric of our country’s well-being and divided us on regional and ethnic lines. An other broken Bio promise. We cannot and will not overcome the difficulties facing our country, until we are serious in the fight against corruption.
No one is suggesting other advance economies and some of their politicians are clean in character like the pope. Maybe in Western economies, its minimal. At most I will say is about 10%to 15% lone wolf corrupt individuals, be it cooperate executive running large companies, or elected public officials. And just like Sierra-leone there are robust Anti corruption laws in place to punish those caught up in the web of corruption cases.And in Sierra Leone thats where the similarities ends. 90% of our elected officials are corrupt to their bone marrow. Although Dr. Samura and others have denied any wrong doing, now I think it is a matter of urgency we allowe the wheels of justice to grind slowly until it reaches the final destination . We should follow the evidence wherever it leads us. If they are found guilty they should be punish.
According Sierra Leonean law, the accused is innocent until prove guilty. We know there are corruption allegations made against some members of the Bio government by whistle-blowers in the AFRICANIST PRESS, when are we going to see corruption investigations instituted or put in motion against those individuals? If the ACC is serious about rescuing our country from the nightmares of corruption, they have to be seen to be independent and transparent with their own rules, and the way they are applied. If those individuals charged are guilty, the laws of the land should take precedent. No one is above the law and no one is below it.