When Alhaji Sam Sumana , then Sierra Leone’s Vice-President , and his former boss , President Ernest Koroma had that famous fallout in 2015,the then opposition SLPP took the matter into their hands as if it was their business and not only made heavy weather of condemning the then ruling APC but helped stage wild, protest demonstrations in the UK and the U.S. when the former VP was removed from his job. It was all to gain cheap political capital. Sam Sumana took his dismissal case to the ECOWAS Court and won the case and a hefty settlement was ordered by the court.
The settlement had not been paid and with the SLPP now in power, Sam Sumana wants his money. It is believed that ECOWAS has threatened sanctions against the Government of Sierra Leone if Sumana did not get his money. SLPP now have the burden of paying the former Vice-President ‘s settlements and they are not happy about it at all. They are now busy demonizing the former Vice-President , showing how SLPP only think of their own interests.
Here is a pro-SLPP news report on the matter :
Unpatriotic Sam Sumana Takes Sierra Leone To Court For ‘Aramu’ Money
By Donstance Koroma
Disclosure made by the Minister of Information and Communications, Hon Mohamed Rahman Swarray, have it that the ex Vice President of Sierra Leone, Samuel Samsumans’s request made to the ECOWAS court clearly indicates that the ex VP is nothing but a non-patriot .
Minister Swarray made this statement past Thursday at the Ministry of Information and Communications’ weekly briefing to the press.
He disclosed to the media that the ex Vice President has taken the New Direction Administration to the ECOWAS court for payment of benefits which is more or less ‘aramu’ money which he never deserves.
The minister further stated that the ex Vice President has further made a treacherous request that political and economic sanctions be slammed on the country in an event the Bio administration decides not to pay.
The Minister registered government’s dissatisfaction over the fact that the ex Vice President deliberately refused to consult with the government before venturing into such a disgraceful decision.
He disclosed that the decision of the ex Vice President has the potential to derail the progress of the ongoing Kono University, since it is an ECOWAS funded project.
Many academic pundits have poured scorn on the action SamSumana, a Kono man who, instead of being happy that government is currently embarking on putting up a university structure in Kono, is instead trying to frustrate the new development.
Sources are that the ex Vice President himself does not have anything tangible to point at during his eight years as Vice President within the district and its environs but to be working against the Konos with an example being his infamous “una sidon na gron” rants against them after their sons and daughters were killed during a protest.
Other quarters of the media had branded the ex Vice President’s decision as selfish, owing to the fact that the previous administration which he served as Vice President left the country under austerity with lots of damage to the economy
By the look of things, the ex Vice President is requesting compensation benefit with regards the case between the Republic of Sierra Leone and Sam Sumanna that was before the ECOWAS court on the grounds of an unconstitutional removal of the Vice President, a matter that he won with costs.
During those days the SLPP being in opposition then, vehemently condemned his sacking labeling the action as unconstitutional.
As it stands, the ex Vice President is now requesting that the Bio-led administration go by the ruling of the ECOWAS court at a time when the government is busy healing the wounds caused by an administration which he served for eight years.
The Minister of Information and Communications could not disclose to the media the amount involved but is said to be huge that will cripple the economy of this country.
