BOMBSHELL : Maada Bio fools his supporters as U.S. says no entry visa yet for the former Sierra Leonean warlord

A United States Embassy official has said that the former Sierra Leonean warlord aspiring  for the presidency , Mr. Julius Maada Bio,  has not yet been granted  an entry visa to come into  the United States of America. Mr. Ahmed Kamara , the Publisher of NEWSTIME AFRICA,  disclosed today that the head of the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Unit, Mr.  Mark Carr, informed him that Bio has not yet applied for the visa, contrary to widespread reports by supporters of the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party ( SLPP ) that he has been granted multiple entry visas.

Over the weekend, COCORIOKO  learned that after broadcasting to the whole world that Bio was coming to the U.S. and after announcing a series of high-profile fundraising dances on his behalf in America, SLPP  supporters in the U.S.  learnt to their agony that Bio had in fact not been granted any visa yet. Bio had fooled some of them while in London by stating that he had got the visa. Later , he climbed down that he had not yet received it. Bio’s belated admission that he was yet to get a U.S. Visa stunned his followers in America.

Bio was supposed to have arrived in America on Friday June 8 .

Another report received by this paper from some supporters of the ruling All People’s Congress ( APC )  in the U.S.  is that  a source at the U.S. Department of State  informed them today that Bio had appealed against his previous rejection for the same visa but the U.S. Embassy has yet to respond to his request for his case to be reopened. However, the NEWSTIME AFRICA Publisher , Mr. Kamara, was absolutely certain about the information he supplied  today . “I spoke directly with the the Public Affairs Boss of the U.S. Embassy and what he told me was very credible. That is why I have not even hesitated to reveal his name in my article”, Mr. Kamara told this newspaper ” . On the other hand , the APC   supporter who informed this paper about Bio’s appeal was also certain about her information, asserting that she and many officials spoke directly with the U.S. State Department. She believes that Bio may be using two passports , because he is now said to have entered Canada. There is speculation from some Sierra Leoneans who have been talking with this newspaper that Bio may in fact try to sneak into America through the Canadian border by road, though one of them said it could spell disaster for him as he could be arrested for entering the country illegally.

The sum total of these revelations is that Bio has not yet applied for a visa and has not been granted one yet to enter the U.S. Why Bio decided to fool his supporters over such a very crucial issue remains unknown but  COCORIOKO  is monitoring  Mr. Bio’s movements in Canada . WE WILL BRING YOU MORE DETAILS.

HERE IS THE NEWSTIME AFRICA REPORT :

Former Sierra Leone Junta Leader and Human Rights Abuser Julius Maada Bio has

not been granted a visa to enter the United States of America

Despite rumour mongering, deliberately being peddled across the U.S. by radical supporters of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), the United States Embassy in Freetown has confirmed to this press that Julius Maada Bio, the SLPP opposition presidential candidate, has not been granted any visa to enter the United States of America. According to the head of the embassy’s Public Affairs Unit, Julius Maada Bio has not applied for any type of visa for entry into the U.S. Mark Carr the head of the unit, insisted that if Maada Bio did apply for visa, his application would be treated just like any other, and any decision would be based on merit. According to Carr, there are wide-ranging issues the U.S. government takes into consideration when granting visas to individuals. Carr had confirmed in the past when asked specifically on issues regarding an individual’s human rights record, that current United States Laws alway play a huge role in how consulates grant visas to enter the country.

This is extremely important, as U.S. president Barack Obama recently pronounced that human rights abusers will not be allowed entry into the United States. But the former junta leader may try to pull a fast one on U.S authorities as reports indicate that he was heading to Canada and may attempt to enter the United States by crossing the border and apply for entry. This might prove too controversial for US authorities as Bio’s recent visit to the UK proved an uncomfortable affair for British officials who turned down all requests by the former brutal dictator for any one-on-one meetings with top government officials. Normally, opposition candidates or leaders are granted audience by host countries as a sign of courtesy and respect, although they are not obligated to do so, but also for sufficient reasons to convey a neutral political stance and non-interference in that country’s internal affairs, they may exercise their right not to.

The outstanding head of the Public Affairs Unit of the US embassy in Freetown, was firm in his country’s commitment to the peace and security of Sierra Leone and said the United States will continue to work with the government and people of Sierra Leone for the overall development of the country. Unlike other diplomatic missions in the country, Carr reiterated his country’s position of non-interference in the internal affairs of Sierra Leone and said it would be the Sierra Leone people who would decide who their next leader/government should be.

Granting Julius Maada Bio a visa to enter the United States of America, would be widely seen as insensitive to the plight of those families whose loved-ones were massacred by Bio and his henchmen during the junta administration’s stint in power between 1994 and 1996. Atrocities that Bio himself is yet to face justice for. But the SLPP’s disgraceful propaganda has once more been exposed as the lies to gain power continue in earnest. The rumour mongering clearly shows the desperation and paranoia that has gripped this once noble political union, as the structure that had held it at the center begins to crumble!

© 2012, COCORIOKO. All rights reserved. – Discuss this and other related articles on the Salone Forum