How Fatima Bio has been committing fraud and condoning public references to herself as “ Her Excellency “

Editor’s note: This article is adapted from a posting on the Sierra Leone Discussions group dated June 10, 2022.

AS longstanding members of our pioneering forum know, our Sierra Leone Discussions forum is distinguished by its focus on serious issues which we believe will advance the development of Sierra Leone. Accordingly, we do not discuss the activities of private individuals acting in a private capacity. However, where the activities of a private individual impact directly or indirectly the development of Sierra Leone, we are duty-bound to discuss such activities.

MOHAMED A. JALLOH REPRESENTING SIERRA LEONE  AT THE EEC—ACP ( EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY —AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC ) CONFERENCE HELD IN NAIROBI, KENYA IN 1987

Which brings us, for the first time, to the latest reported activities of Mrs. Fatima Bio, the wife of Pres. Julius Bio of Sierra Leone. Cf.

Mrs. Fatima Bio is not an official of the Sierra Leone government. From this fact, two important conclusions can be drawn, viz.

1. Because Mrs. Fatima Bio is not an official of the government of Sierra Leone, she is not entitled to taxpayers’ money for use in her private life as the wife of the president of Sierra Leone.

Taxpayers’ money can only be spent upon prior authorization by the Sierra Leone parliament AND in accordance with the provisions of the constitution of Sierra Leone. Therefore, if Mrs. Bio spends money belonging to the people of Sierra Leone that has not been authorized by the Sierra Leone parliament in accordance with the Sierra Leone constitution, she commits fraud against the people of Sierra Leone.

So does any person who purports to approve the payment to Mrs. Bio of taxpayers’ funds that had not been authorized by the parliament of Sierra Leone in accordance with the constitution of Sierra Leone.

2.   As a non-official of the Sierra Leone government, Mrs. Bio, unfortunately, also commits fraud against the people of Sierra Leone each and every time she refers to herself as Her Excellency – or induces or demands of others to refer to her as Her Excellency – in public communications.

That is because it is well-established under international norms that the honorifics, His Excellency (for men) and Her Excellency (for women) are reserved for properly credentialed OFFICIALS of a government and of foreign governments recognized by that government.

Therefore, being neither an official of the Sierra Leone government nor an official of a foreign government recognized by the Sierra Leone government, Mrs. Fatima Bio is not entitled to refer to herself – or induce or demand of others to refer to her in public communications – as Her Excellency.

For both reasons, in the interest of promoting the Sierra Leone government’s adherence both to Sierra Leone’s  constitution and to international norms of conduct, I hereby respectfully appeal to Pres. Bio to urgently act to stop these acts of defalcation and impropriety, respectively, which are allegedly being committed by Mrs Bio.

© 2026 Mohamed A. Jalloh