Sierra Leone Telegraph: 13 November 2019:
Much has been said about the arrest and detention of the managing editor of the Times SL – Mr Sallieu Tejan Jalloh, who was released from CID yesterday in Freetown. The government’s chief minister – professor David Francis, who is alleged to have received $1.5 million bribe from a mining company, yesterday published a statement denying the allegation.
Both the police and the Anti-Corruption Commission who are conducting their investigations have remained silent.
In Sierra Leone, reactions to corruption allegations involving top government officials are usually tainted by party political interests, and this story is no exception.
There has been plenty of accusations and counter accusations, with government supporters accusing the opposition APC of engineering and fabricating the corruption allegation against the chief minister.
But there can be only one truth. And the expectation is that the police and the ACC will carry out a thorough, honest and impartial investigation into the allegation, which prompted the arrest of journalist Sallieu Tejan Jalloh.
Speaking on Radio this morning in Freetown, Sallieu gave an account of his SMS text message sent to the chief minister last week, and the manner in which he was arrested by armed police officers pretending to be advertising clients. He said he felt he was being kidnapped. Shocking revelations.
Listen to Sallieu’s story – in his own words:
Listen to the head of the Anti-Corruption Commission – Francis Ben kaifala speaking:
Ooh Allah help us. Sierra Leone is a movie
Its drives me crazy, anytime I hear SLPP supporters insisting on using the word – EXTORTION in this alleged bribery scandal, that may end up creating a troubling atmosphere of resentment and discontent in our beloved country. Gentlemen, please put to use all your mental faculties that are functioning and still in order, and point out to us just one instance in which Mr Jalloh used or resorted to threats, violence or tactics of blackmailing to get money, cooperation or information from the Chief Minister? One!
All the questions Mr Jalloh asked in his text message were forthright, ethical and legal, any way you scrutinize and examine them. There was no extortion, no blackmail, shakedown, exaction, or milking – Nothing! And there you have it, I’ve made it quite simple for you guys. Are we clear now? Rising Sun Will Rise Again.
Having listened to the Journalist, the ACC Commissioner and at the same time read the Editorial op-ed from Miss Blyden, it is my fervent belief that what Miss Blyden alluded to is exactly the motive of this Journalist Mr Tejan Jalloh. I am not a journalist. However, I have done criminal investigation in the past.
In criminal investigation, on receipt of an information about a criminal activity, your first call is to get a collaboration. With the freedom of information act now in place, it could have been better if the journalist had calloborated his information thereby crossing the threshold from information to evidence. By presenting that evidence to the Chief Minister since he says that he has no confidence in the ACC that has jurisdiction, his case could have been bolstered. But contacting the alleged suspect of a criminal activity at night with allegations and no evidence, it can be interpreted in many ways and one of it is that it is for extortion.
Alleging that you had presented information to the ACC in the past that was not looked into as an excuse not to report corrupt activity involving a senior public official runs the risk of you falling foul with commiting either a civil offence and or criminal offence, since we still have the libel law in our penal code especially if the allegation turns out to be false.
It’s so sad for journalism to be reduced to this level. The days of late Sam Metzeger or late Pious Foray was quite different. The guy just sound like a typical “ Bonga Raray Man “ who is under the influence of something having an argument in a street corner in a slum community in Freetown. Unfortunately for our nation, he has scored a cheap popularity by trying to tarnish the image of a credible Chief Minister that is responsible for the launching of the Transition Report that led to the COI, and he has also tried to drag the respected commissioner in the mud after achieving an excellent result in the recent MCC report.
One thing is clear, the declaration of all assets of the former APC government officials will still continue even though this young so-called journalist has been used to change the subject for at most a week. I was really expecting to hear something constructive from him rather than shouting, but I also hope and pray that he will copy from the example of a young journalist that recently apologized to a credibly High Court Judge Miatta Samba for his mistake.