Thursday  May 4,  2006

Once Again the Members of Youth for Sierra Leone Improvement Will Be Hosting representatives of the three major political parties; The SLPP Party, the APC Party and the PMDC Party to debate on National Issues. The Debate will be held on May 7^th at 2120 Industrial Parkway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20904 at 6:00 PM sharp. This will be a weekend in the making as we at Youth For Sierra Leone Improvement continue to push forward in holding our leaders/ stakeholders accountable while we empower the Youth. We also want to inform all that on June 23 at the Miatta Conference in Freetown, Sierra Leone; We will be holding the First National Debate. Our keynote Speakers will be Hon. Thomas Hull. U.S.Ambassor.

Youth for Sierra Leone Improvement (YSLI) is a non-governmental organization that is devoted to empowering the youths of Sierra Leone through education and health awareness. YSLI strongly believes that the future of Sierra Leone lies in the hands of its youth. The future of Sierra Leone is bleak without a sound educated and healthy youth population. The vision of YSLI is to help make basic education attainable for underprivileged youths. Education is a clear-cut remedy for poverty. An educated citizen will not only be better equipped to contribute to Sierra Leone, but he or she will be a significant factor in breaking the cycle of poverty. An healthy mind is a knowledge factory, therefore, it is crucial to that YSLI focus on health and on education. YSLI gives the same priority to both education and health, specifically the HIV/AIDS epidemic. By providing information on the prevention of HIV/AIDS, YSLI will help Sierra Leone develop into an educated and a healthy society.

ST . PAUL’S PRINCIPAL IS A  DISGRACE TO DEMOCRACY

Thursday March 9, 2006

First_Name:  Kennie
Last_Name:  Zoker
Email_Address:  [email protected]
Address:   N. Dupont  Ave.
City:  Madison
State:  TN
Zip_Code:  37115

Comments:   MR.SAM ABU( PRINCIPAL OF ST.PAULS PUJEHUN)IS A DISGRACE TO DEMOCRACY.
The action of  Mr.Sam Abu, pricipal of St.Pauls Pujehun against Mr.Margai and his delegation to pujehun  is not surprising to some of us who have known him decades ago.

This same Sam Abu who is now beating the political drums for Berewa was the same Sam Abu who, in the 1982 General Elections between F.M Minah and the late Dr.I.S Bangura, who was giving informtion to F.M.Minah about St.Pauls teachers who were not supporting him  . As a secret agent for Minah, it was very common for him to drive to Yonni in the cool of the evning on his Yamaha honda to brief the “Pa”(Minah) on the activities of the very teachers of his school.  His secret activities led to the disgrace nad molestation of Mr.Kpaka ( A French teacher), Paul Sengeh, and even many students who were not in the camp of F.M.Minah. These teachers were attacked, seriously beaten up by the thugs of Sam Abu and his boss Mimah.

Mr. Abu, you cannot have it both ways, you can’t be a APC thug in 1982 and at the same time turn around to become a thug for another party SLPP, just for you to keep your job as Principal.
Mr.Abu, some of us who were fortunate to attend St.Pauls in the 80’s know how you and Wundu Passewe waged war against Sam Alfrid through F.M.Minah. All you are doing right now is to play that same dirty game you you played in the days of Minah to intimadate innocent people inorder for you to show Berewa that you are for him.
Mr.Abu sir, those days of intimidation and thuggish behavior in politics is over.

If you don’t know, sports activities are, and has always been open to the general public, politicians (including Mr.Margai, Berewa, and even Ernest Koroma).
Your action of reporting Mr.Margai to the police tantamont to the misuse of the Sierra Leone police force.
Sir,let democracy take its course by allowing the people of Pujehun to listen to the views of different parties. LONTA.

Paramount Chiefs warned to hands-off politics

BY Chernor Ojuku Sesay

Wednesday March 1, 2006

The Chief Electoral Commissioner, Christiana Thorpe has strongly warned Paramount Chiefs during her recently concluded provincial visits to keep themselves off from partisan politics. She further warned that as traditional rulers, they should remain non-partisan as any chief who openly supports a political party puts him/herself in a very difficult situation when the party that chief is supporting fails to gain power.

The issue of chiefs involving in politics has been a subject of complain by Opposition parties in the country. The Opposition parties have protested that Paramount Chiefs are in the habit of openly campaigning for the ruling party and have sometimes banned Opposition parties from carrying out campaign activities in their respective chiefdoms.

The Opposition have also complained that their supporters  in the respective chiefdoms are sometimes harrassed and intimidated by Paramount Chiefs when it is clear that a particular subject  is supporting the Opposi

UNIOSIL to help fight corruption

By Chernor Ojuku Sesay

Friday February 24, 2006

The Executive Representative of the Secretary General for the United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL), Mr.Victor J.Angelo has said that one of his challenges is to help fight corruption in Sierra Leone.

Mr. Angelo was speaking to journalists and human rights activists on Wednesday, February 22  at Mammy Yoko Hotel, Aberdeen west of Freetown.

” We have to fight corruption and we should get positive results because corruption is a key problem in this country”, he said. He went on to say that his Mission in Sierra Leone will be focusing on security, democracy and development.  “Our work is about supporting the Sierra Leone Police.They have come a long way but there is still more needed to be done. When you talk about criminal investigation, airport security, modern techniques of controlling crowds and also additional support to the Office of National Security (ONS), I am bold enough to sat that we are ready and working closely with the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF and, IMATT to pay special attention on the borders of Sierra Leone”, he said.

He further stated that, his Mission will give support to the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and also keep in touch with all the political parties, to ensure that free and fair elections are held come 2007. “Sierra Leone is at the bottom  ranking on the UNDP index, which makes it very difficult to meet the Millennium Development Goals  (MDGs) but for sure, the Food Security programme is on course” he noted, adding that ” we will also focus on the justice sector, which is a serious problem, training for the media as they are the public information sector in the country and we have to mobilize resources for Sierra Leone from the donors and international investors. Without resources this country will not develop”.

In his brief statement, the President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo assured Mr. Victor J. Angelo that the press would continue to work with the new Mission (UNIOSIL) tremendously as they did for the past Mission (UNAMSIL).

Salone Athletes To C’wealth Games Warned

By Chernor Ojuku Sesay

Thursday February 16, 2006

Australia has warned overseas athletes and officials that they will be banned from re-entering Australia for three years if they overstay their Commonwealth Games visas.

Authorities are hoping to avoid a repeat of the 2002 Games in Manchester when dozens of athletes for Sierra Leone disappeared. More than 8,000 Special Games visas have been issued for competitors, coaches, team managers, sponsors and broadcasters.

Commonwealth Games participants are free to enter Australia from February 15 but must leave by April 26 one month after the closing ceremony. About 80 international participants overstayed their visas after the 2002 Sydney Olympics, with a handful of cases yet to be resolved.

A spokesman for the Immigration Department told the Herald Sun newspaper that it does not anticipate a report of the Manchester controversy. The overstay rate for the Sydney Olympics was very small, less  than one per cent, and it is not expected that the Commonwealth Games will be any different.

“The department is working closely with the authorities to ensure the Games teams are well aware of entry arrangement and requirements”, the newspaper quoted an Immigration officer as saying.

Kabbah launches APRM

By Chernor Ojuku Sesay    Tuesday February 7, 2006

President Tejan Kabbah has officially launched the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Sierra Leone chapter. The ceremony was held last week at the Miata Conference Hall, Brookfields in Freetown and organised by the Ministry of Presidental Affairs with support from its partners.

Addressing guests including cabinet ministers, diplomats and others present, President Kabbah thanked the organisers of the APRM, saying that his government appreciates the efforts of civil society for participating in the APRM.

The President disclosed that, the need for APRM in Sierra Leone is to examine the governement and at the same time to review the ongoing processes of the government service and to ensure that good governance prevails in the society.

ActionAid, youths, press hang heads on National Budget

By Chernor Ojuku Sesay

Wednesday  February 1, , 2006

ActionAid Sierra Leone will start a two day workshop today at the Pope John Paul Hall Syke Street, Freetown on the topic ?Economic Literacy and Budget Analysis (ELBA) for youth groups and members of the media’. Despite social commitments expressed by national governments, the budget document is the one that reflects the commitment in real terms.

Thus, the Budget document is a political document reflecting the government’s social and economic policy priorities more than any other document. It translates policies, political commitments and goals into decisions on where funds would be spent and how funds would be collected. The most interesting thing about the Budget that will be discussed is how important it is to educate the publc about the processes, priorities and operations of the Budget, so that they could use their political space to make positive change happen.

According to the population census of 2004, youths constitute around 40% of the population of Sierra Leone. It is also a fact that the literate population in the country also highly rely on information received through the media. It is against this background that ActionAid Sierra Leone is conducting the workshop to train specifically youths and media practitioners in an attempt to bridge the existing knowledge gap on budgetary issues.

Ansarul Principal says school doing well, but.

By Chernor Ojuku Sesay

Thursday January 26, 2006

The Ansarul Islamic Secondary School situated at Guard Street, Freetown was established in 1983 by the Ansarul Islamic Mission of Sierra Leone. Although this school is situated in a state of poor environmental condition, the school is said to be doing extremely well in academic and social activities.

Recently, Alhaji Kamanoh, Principal of Ansural Islamic Secondary School spoke told this correspondent in his office that the school was founded by an indigenous mission which was headed by two Sierra Leoneans (Alhaji Mohamed Jalloh and Alhaji Saj-Alieu Bah) of No.3 Sani Abacha Street in Freetown.

Alhaji Kamanoh explained further that, the mission has twelve secondary schools and 65 primary schools all over the country and that the mission has expanded to the interior part of the country. According to Alhaji Kamanoh, the school has been performing well in external exams such as the GCE’O’ Level but that the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Alpha Wurie has a different view about the school because as Education Minister, he has not put any mechanism in place to upgrade the standard of the school to commence Senior Secondary School classes, which the school is anxiously looking forward to.

Alhaji Kamanoh also stated that the school consists of 54 members of staff and that they are all trained and qualified graduates. He further pointed out that the staff are all hard working and committed to their work adding that, the school has a roll of 949 pupils both male and female in morning and afternoon.

He commended the Ministry of Education for paying 100% salaries to all workers in the school.

SOS annual workshop kicks off

By Chernor Ojuku Sesay

Wednesday  January  18, 2006

A three days national workshop for senior and middle level management staff of the Save Our Souls (SOS) Children’s Villages in Sierra Leone began yesterday in the main hall of the SOS Children’s Village Trust, Lumley, west of Freetown.

In his opening remarks, the National Director Olatunji E.E.Woode said that, the whole exercise was meant for designing , formulating of strategies and reflecting on the past year and strengthening of areas where mistakes occurred in the past year.

” My aim for this year is to prevent child abandonment and conflict resolution”, Mr. Woode said. He also encouraged the staff to maintain good standard of performance in and out of the village. ” We have to maintain the facility and property of the village so that the standard of the village will grow from strength to strength” he said.

Mr. Woode further disclosed that, they are now building an other village in Makeni after the one in Bo and Freetown as a way of expanding the village country-wide. In a serious voice Mr. Woode told the participants, “I want you to take this workshop seriously because I will not take it easy this time as I have warned you against abuse of children. I am not against corporal punishment, but cane lashing a child frequently is bad. Then, 10 out of every 15 children can not read or write English well by the time they get into secondary school. So, here again, we have to encourage them (the children) to learn but not by beating them” he added.

He went on to say that he has cancelled all youth programmes that were instituted by him. “We are taking care of children. And that is why we say SOS Children’s Village. Therefore, all youth programmes are suspended until I have further orders from the Regional Head”.

Mr. Woode said also that, the workshop is meant for them to clear the air on the things that have been going on in the village which affected some of the administrative rank. “People without information cannot act responsibly. People with information are compelled to act responsibly. Quoting Ken Blanchard”, the SOS Village National Coordinator added.

Presentation of Project Annual Reports 2005 were then read by the different heads of department of SOS country-wide.

ABASS BUNDU’S  “GOOD NAME” : BY KENNIE ZOKER , NASHVILLE., TENNESSEE 

Wednesday December 14, 2005

First_Name:  Kennie
Last_Name:  Zoker
City:  Nashville
State:  TN
Zip_Code:  37115
Comments:  ABASS BUNDU’S “GOOD NAME.”
When i read Dr. Bundu’s press release he made in Freetown yesterday i felt
like throwing up.

Dr.Bundu should know that the politics of Siaka Stevens and that of APC of old
will nolonger play in Sierra Leone. Our poeple have been fooled enough by these
eloquent speeches. Dr. Bundu shuold also know that there is nothing good in him
that is desirable or that will bring help to our poor people whom he had
exploited for so many years.

Dr. Bundu your “good name” you are so desperately trying to restore is a sword
in so many hearts in Sierra Leone. You have exploited and destroyed so many
lives in that country than you can imagine.

By the way why are you so desperate for your ” good name, charater, and
reputation” to be restored at this time after almost ten years of your loots?
Is it  true that your political advisers have asked you come clean in order for
you to be placed  in Solo Bee’s short list for running mate?
If that is the case, my advise to you is that, please tell Solo Bee that you
do not command any support in the North if that is what he thought.( Rememeber
1996 elected, how you were disgraced and rejected by the people of Makeni?)
One thing you should know by now is that there is absolutely nothing “good” in
that name “Abass Bundu.” That name is a failed name and people of Sierra Leone
do not want to be reminded again of their tractors or national passports been
sold again to a foreigners and the money pocketed.Only to come around ten years
later and make a press release to restore your so call ” good name.”

Dr.Bundu you are nothing but a national joke!
The idea of political prostitution and recycling politicians is a norm the
Sierra Leonean  people are tired with because you recycled politicians have
nothing new in your old corrupt brains to bring any meaninfull changed in that
counrty.
We need a new breed of untainted policians who have the heart of and brian to
listen to the cries of our suffring people.
So Dr.Bundu, enough is enough. No press release will ever and ever restore your
so called ” good name” because it is beyond repairs.
Our people have put up with this fool for too long so now enough is enough.

CONTINUOUS LIGHT IN FREETOWN AFTER DECEMBER 15 ?

Monday November 28, 2005

COCORIOKO  has learnt from a reliable source who wants to remain anonymous that the electricity supply in the capital , Freetown , may improve  even better after December 15 as the National Power Authority ( NPA ) has planned to make the city bright and sparkling for Christmas and the New Year celebrations.

According to information made available to this newspaper by another usually reliable  source,  the   plan is also connected with the large number of Sierra Leoneans planning to travel from all over the world to spend the Yuletide season in their motherland .

The NPA ,  in conjunction with the government , is said to planning to provide the continuous supply of light only during the holiday season after which load-shedding will return but our source told this newspaper that the Authority also looks forward to a more improved supply of electricity in 2006 , as the company continues to utilize the new generators received recently.

It is not surprising that the government has made such preparations to make life pleasant for Sierra Leoneans coming in from abroad to spend Christmas. The government is cognisant of the fact that holidaymakers , known in Sierra Leone as JJCs ( Johnny Just Comes ) , boost the economy during their stay in the country. They inject a lot of foreign currencies into the economy and their purchasing power is humunguous , thus boosting trade and commerce in the country.

COCORIOKO tried to seek confirmation from the newly-appointed Boss of the NPA, Mr. Lloyd During , but without success. However, we will bring you more details when our calls go through.

MONKEYS ARE DESTROYING OUR CROPS –Farmers  in Kangahun and Levuma complain

Monday November 21, 2005

Some farmers in the Kangahun and Levuma areas  are complaining that monkeys were destroying their crops, our Provincial correspondent, Soribah Kalokoh reports .The pests have inflicted heavy losses on the farmers who  are calling on the authorities to intervene.

Soriebah Kalokoh talked to the aggrieved  farmers at the Bo  Town Market on Saturday . They  complained that the monkey population had increased in the two towns because Muslims  in the area have forbidden people to eat them.

The farmers said that the monkeys raid their corn , tomatoes and pumpkin farms in search of food and consume their crops. Monkeys are also believed to be behind the trampling  of rice stalks on upland farms.

The farmers went on to complain that in the past when inhabitants of the villages around the two towns feasted on the critters, they did not pose the present menace to their crops. They blamed some muslim scholars and preachers in the area who have become more aggressive in their preaching and have been busy telling the villagers to stop eating monkeys because they were unclean beasts forbidden to be used as food by the Koran.

The farmers also said that many of the noted hunters who once secured the area from pests were killed during the war and most young people show no interest in the hunting vocation and prefer to migrate to the big towns in search of better opportunities.

The farmers recalled that in the distant past, the Sierra Leone Produce Marketting Board ( SLPMB )  paid hunters for every one monkey tail they produced .In this way, the hunters got incentives for killing monkeys , but with those benefits gone, hunters are no longer motivated  to go after monkeys.

They appealed to the government to intervene to put a check to the menace being caused by the multiplying monkey population in the area.

GYUDE BRYANT MOVES TO STAVE MAYHEM  IN LIBERIA

Tuesday November 15, 2006

Liberia’s interim President , Gyude Bryant, says that certain ill-disposed persons were planning to create  chaos and mayhem in the country by burning down government buildings and installations in protest against the runoff elections . The Liberian leader  has gone ahead and banned the sale of petroleum products  as of tomorrow .

According to Radio Free Liberia, the alleged troublemakers planned to use petrol to torch buildings and installations .He warned that his government will take drastic action against anyone found with petroleum products .

The development is astonishing considering the fact that the Standard Bearer of the Campaign For Democratic Change ( CDC), Mr. George Oppong Weah , has been appealing to his supporters to eshew violence in the face of the standoff he has created by disputing the results of the November 8 runoffs which saw his rival, Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of the Unity Party ( UP ) winning the majority.

Our reporter , Jlateh Doe, said yesterday that tension was high in Liberia , though the city of Monrovia was calm . According to him, there is a wide-spread belief among supporters of George Weah that the elections were stage-managed to give Mrs .Johnson-Sirleaf victory. They are complaining that ballot boxes were stuffed and there were lots of  other irregularities .

Jlateh Doe also reported that Weah was planning to go the deep end with legal measures to have any results of the runoff declared null and void and for the process to be held again.

15, 000 UN PEACEKEEPERS  SPREAD OUT IN LIBERIA AS ELECTIONS DRAW NEAR

Wednesday September 28, 2005

About 15, 000 soldiers in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in  Liberia  have spread throughout the country to provide security as the countdown begins to expire for the October 11 Presidential and General Elections .

UN Special Envoy to Liberia , Mr. Allan Doss ,  said that the peacekeepers will be on the alert to take drastic action against anybody who tries to disrupt the elections.

This week, the UN Security Concil overrode Secretary General Kofi Annan ‘s request for an extension of the UN Mission in Liberia ( UNMIL) to one year by extending it to six months instead. However, UN  officials have been talking tough about their determination to ensure that troublemakers are thorougly dealt with if they attempt to wreak havoc during the elections.

So far, since the Gbanga incident two weeks ago when angry youths attacks the Bong headquarters of the United Party ( UP )  of  front-runner , Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the electioneering campaign has been relatively peaceful, despite threats by internally displaced persons ( IDPs) to disrupt it.

ROBIN VINCENT BIDS FAREWELL : MALAWIAN ATTORNEY TAKES OVER Monday September 19, 2005 At Noon at the SLENA building on Friday , Robin Vincent , the Registrar of the Special Court, ( Right) held his  last press conference, where he introduced the newInterim Registrar, Lovemore Munlo (Left ).Mr. Vincent had been Registrar of the SCSL  since its inception. Mr. Lovemore Green Munlo, of Malawi, is currently Deputy Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), where he has served since October 2001. From May 1994 to October 2001, he was in private legal practice as a partner in the law firm Green Munlo & Co. From September 1993 to May 1994, Mr. Munlo served as Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Malawi and from January 1992 to September 1993 he served as Deputy Minister of External Affairs. From 1990 to 1992 he was a Judge of the High Court and Supreme Court of Appeal; from 1987 to 1990 he served as Director of International Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and from 1984 to 1987 as Director of Public Prosecutions in the Attorney-General’s Chamber. Prior to that he served in the Attorney-General’s Chamber as Senior State Advocate and State Advocate. Mr. Munlo received a Law Degree from the University of Malawi in 1976 and a Master’s Degree (LL.M) in Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1989.

BISHOP SAM BOYABEI, MANY  OTHERS THANK  COCORIOKO FOR SUNDAY’S “WONDERFUL  SERVICE” TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD

Tuesday September 6, 2005

The President of Sierra Leone’s Army of God Evangelistic Aaasociation , Bishop Sam Boyabei , who is on an evangelism tour of the United States, thanked COCORIOKO  today for what he described as a wonderful service to Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora on Sunday.COCORIOKO  has also received many letters of thanks for providing information on the votes last Sunday and satiating the curiousity and anxieties of Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora .

Rev.Boyabei said that neither Reuters nor the Associated Press nor any of the international newswire had any immediate news of the SLPP Delegates Convention on Sunday as people in the diaspora scrambled all over the internet to get news about what had happened at the convention. “It was COCORIOKO”, he went on, “which served as the first source of the vital information on the results of the SLPP Leadership and Presidential nomination votes  “.

Rev. Boyabei and many of our readers who wrote this paper commended our reporter Tamba Borbor highly for his timely and accurate reports and pictures from the convention. Many of them hoped COCORIOKO  will encourage and motivate the young man for the valuable service he performed for Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora on Sunday.

Bishop Boyabei said he was the one who called a lot of Sierra Leoneans to log in to COCORIOKO  to get the results after many of them had called him earlier to enquire whether he had heard anything from the convention.

Some of our readers highlighted the anxiety that gripped the diaspora on Sunday as Sierra Leoneans waited with tense anticipation for results from the convention. The SLPP Convention ranked among one of the most important and significant events to have occured in Sierra Leone in recent times because it impinged on the future and destiny of the nation. Therefore , the tension in the nation and diaspora was astronomical. Everybody was anxious to get detailed information from Makeni where the SLPP Convention was being held.

Many people knew the outcome already of the APC Convention in Port Loko. They knew that barring any last-minute miracle , Ernest Koroma was going to win the APC  Presidential nomination votes . Therefore , the anxiety was not over the APC Convention . All ears were awaiting to hear something from the SLPP Convention because that was where surprises were expected. Despite the verdict in the Hinga Norman case which led to the withdrawal of the Chief and the impromptu nature of the weekend date for the convention, people still harboured hopes that their candidates would spring a suprise. Supporters of Charles Margai, Marda Bio, J.B.Dauda , Lansana Nyalley and John Ernest Leigh all expected victory. One could therefore imagine the anxiety and tension that gripped Sierra Leoneans inside and outside the country on Sunday.

It was therefore no surprise when our phones started ringing off the hook on Sunday .There were phone calls coming from everywhere. Our greatest prayer was that the phones  between the US. and Makeni in Sierra Leone did not fail that crucial moment. As God would have it, they did not.After many rings, Tamba Borbor came on the line.We knew that it was no time to waste time on courtesies . The whole world was waiting on us for the all-important  information. He started relaying his reports immedistely and I started writing. The counting was on now but there was startling news : John Leigh and Nyalley were out of the race. I published that information fsater than ever and called back at the right time.The results were out.Berewa had won. You could hear the jubilation in the background. I decided to flash the news to the whole world with just a news flash first and then call back to get the details.

I knew that the brethren at LEONENET-TAMU  would be anxious too to get the news.I logged in and they had not got the news yet. I gave them the news and the figures which were all I had taken from Tamba Borbor.  I knew that thousands were out there waiting to hear the results.

My greatest determination was to ease the tension that I knew  had risen from all the phone calls coming in I wanted to be of service to my countrymen and women living abroad.  After all, that is what voluntary public service  entailed. As it turned out, we were not only serving the diaspora that moment. Even people in Sierra Leone who, it is said, now consider the internet the fastest source of news from Sierra Leone now, depended on newspapers in the Sierra Leone Web for the results since Sierra Leone-based radios and other news media usually take hours or a day or two to report what are by then stale news on the internet. Whoever created the internet must have had countries like Sierra Leone in mind. Some of the letters of thanks are from Sierra Leone.

On Monday , when we published the photos of the convention, one particular one resonated throughout the world .Read about that in another article.

We thank God that he used us as his vessels on Sunday to reduce or remove the palpable tension that had gripped the Sierra Leone society , especially abroad.

SLAJ issues 30-day ultimatum to Police and Parliament

Tuesday August 30, 2005

The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) has issued a thirty-day ultimatum to the Sierra Leone Police and the House of Parliament.

At an emergency meeting held Saturday 2nd August at SLENA Wallace Johnson Street in Freetown, many decisions were taken following the outcome of the inquest.  In a Press Release signed by the Secretary General- Ibrahim Karim-Sei, SLAJ states among the decisions reached that: “the news blackout earlier placed on the Police, House of Parliament and the Vice President Solomon Berewa is lifted temporarily pending the following actions.” It urges among the actions to be taken that “the Ethics Committee in Parliament investigates the conduct of Hon. Dr. Fatmata Hassan vis-�-vis her role in the death of Harry Yansaneh and make the findings public.

The Sierra Leone Police conducts an internal investigation into the conduct of those officials that handled the case of assault as reported by the late Harry Yansaneh. and their findings made public.” The SLAJ Press Release stated further: “. failure by the Police and or Parliament to comply with the aforementioned demands within thirty (30) days would leave the members no alternative but to review their position on the news blackout.”  Meanwhile, SLAJ is also calling on the British Government through the British High Commission in Sierra Leone to assist in the extradition of the children of Hon. Dr. Fatmata Hassan from the United Kingdom where they are believed to be residing

Lawyer gives Police ultimatum to repay Le8, 700, 000

Thursday August 8, 2005

Tamba Borbor reports from Freetown

An ultimatum has been issued to the Local Unit Commander of the Congo Cross Police, F.U.K. Daboh by Lawyer James Blyden Jenkins-Johnston to return the sum of eight million seven hundred thousand Leones (Le8, 700, 000). Daboh is alleged to have obtained this money by threats and coercion.

Lawyer Jenkins Johnston in a letter written to the Inspector General of Police stated: “on the 29th June 2005, our client was summoned over the phone to the Congo Cross Police Station by Mr. F.U.K. Daboh for reasons which were not made known to him.” He went to explain to the Inspector General that his client- a law-abiding citizen went to the Police station in the company of a friend and on arrival, his friend disallowed from entering into Daboh’s office, which saw him go in alone.

The letter which was copied to the Chairman of the Police Council- Vice President Solomon Berewa went on, “. when our client went into Daboh’s office, there were already some people there he did not know; whereupon Mr. Daboh told our client that he had to pay one Mrs. Jartu Johnson three thousand U.S.dollars and that he must produce the money immediately.”

According to the said letter, Mr. Hisne Jacob had denied owing Mrs. Jartu Johnson any money at all; adding: “but Mr. Daboh would not hear of it and proceeded to threaten our client with imprisonment and also abused him and allowed others in the room to do likewise.” Lawyer Jenkins-Johnston further complained that Mr. Daboh did not allow his client to make a call with his mobile phone nor speak to anyone and even kept him in his office until 10p.m.

At this moment, the Lawyer states, his client yield to the threats and coercion and decided to go and get the money from his office. The letter went on, “Mr. Daboh agreed to allow him to go and get the money, but under Police escort.” Lawyer Jenkins-Johnston stressed, “our client was then allowed out of the station like a prisoner under escort, went to open his office at that time of the night, and produced the sum of eight million, seven hundred thousand Leones.”

Lawyer Jenkins Johnston explained further that on arrival back at the station, “our client still under Police escort handed over the money to the said Mr. F.U. K. Daboh who refused to issue a receipt in his own name and instead asked one of his subordinates to issue the receipt.”  This behaviour on the part of a senior Police officer the legal luminary stated, is not only setting a bad example for junior officers, but “is patently unlawful and a serious abuse of Police power.” He emphasised further, “this is not the business of the Police,” while therefore demanded from F.U.K. Daboh the sum of eight million, seven hundred thousand Leones with costs.  Failing this, the Lawyer said a legal action would be constituted against FUK Daboh.

.

JOURNALIST HARRY YANSANEH LAID TO REST : CALLS INCREASE FOR JUSTICE IN BEATING DEATH

Monday August 1, 2005

The Acting Editor of the FOR DI PEOPLE  newspaper, Harry Yansaneh, who  probably died last week from complications from injuries sustained from a merciless beating by thugs , was laid to rest in Freetown yesterday, after a tearful funeral attended by hundreds of mourners.

The body was taken to the Central Mosque , near the old Bus Station , where prayers were held before it was conveyed to the Kissy Road Cemetery for interrment, in a convoy of vehicles. Drivers in the funeral procession flashed their lights as they headed for the cemetery .

The mood for  the afternoon funeral of a journalist gone on record as one of many who paid the price for practising what is a dangerous profession in Sierra Leone, was sombre. His family members and collegues of the Fourth Estate openly wept for a life cut short at its prime.

The journalist was beaten up allegedly by thugs representing SLPP Member of Parliament , Hon. Fatmata Hassan and he ailed for months before dying last Thursday .

Meanwhile, calls have increased for justice to be meted out to those responsible for the death of the journalist. In letters to COCORIOKO,  many readers have protested against the merciless beating given to Yansaneh and have called for justice. In a recurring theme, most of the readers who wrote COCORIOKO  expressing their anger, want Fatmata Hassan arrested without delay.

READ WHAT AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION SAID :

FROM REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS

Sierra Leone 30 July 2005

Call for autopsy after death of editor of For Di People

Reporters Without Borders expressed sorrow at the death of For Di People interim editor Harry Yansaneh on 28 July 2005, more than two months after he was savagely beaten up by henchmen of Fatmata Hassan Komeh, a deputy in the ruling party.

The worldwide press freedom organisation called on the authorities to hold a rigorous investigation including a post mortem to determine the exact causes of the journalist’s death.

The editor and founder of the newspaper, Paul Kamara has been in prison since October 2004 after being sentenced to four years for “seditious defamation” based on a complaint from President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.

Fatmata Hassan Komeh, a member of parliament for the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), on 10 May 2005 ordered her henchmen, some of them her family members, to beat up Yansaneh, for reporting negative comments about the government.

Her two sons, accompanied by three other men, burst into the editorial office and beat the journalist, drove staff out of their offices, blocked access to the paper and vandalised equipment. Yansaneh was left with his body and face swollen from his beating. A complaint was made to the police but they have so far taken no action. Some sources said that several of the assailants had since left the country.

“We are saddened and distressed by the death of Harry Yansaneh, after nearly three months in hospital, “said Reporters Without Borders, offering the organisation’s profound solidarity to his family and colleagues. “It is inconceivable that the police should find any further reasons not to investigate the case and find the assailants and the instigator of the attack.

“An autopsy must be held to determine the cause of Harry Yansaneh’s death in particular whether he died of the injuries inflicted on him by Fatmata Hassan Komeh’s henchmen.”

“The authorities in Freetown must realise that this tragic episode means yet another blow to a profession already hit by the unfair imprisonment of Paul Kamara, for whom Yansaneh was editing For Di People in his absence,” it added.

On the same day as the attack on Yansaneh, Komeh forced six independent newspapers – The Independent Observer, For Di People, The African Champion, The Progress, The Pool and The Pioneer – to leave the offices that they had been renting for more than ten years.

5-count contempt charge for ACC Boss

By Tamba Borbor

Tuesday June 28, 2005

The Anti-Corruption Commissioner (ACC), Val Collier is facing a five-count indictment by the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges. The ACC Commissioner is alleged to have tendered an apology to the Committee for remarks made against Parliamentarians, during a public forum organised by the Civil Society Alternative Process on the poverty Reduction Strategy Paper initiative and the Public Order Act 1965.

The ACC boss was reported to have referred to Parliamentarians as “sick men in crutches, handicapped, acting hopelessly with disillusionment in addressing state matters.” That angered Parliamentarians and he was eventually slapped with a five-count indictment. The first count relates to Contempt of Parliament contrary to Section 95 of the Sierra Leone Constitution 1991 (Act No. 6 1991).

The particulars of offence states, that the ACC boss affronts the dignity of Parliament. In count 2 he was alleged to have said, “Parliament is now full of contractors and individuals with selfish interest with few of them having the guts to take independent positions on national issues.” That story was published in the Concord Times Newspaper of 7^th April 2005.

The third count relates to another article in the 8^th April 2005 publication of ?For di People’ Newspaper in which it was stated that the ACC boss described the present Parliament “as a visionless one.” Hon. Wusu B. Munu, Chairman Committee of Privileges signed the charge sheet which said, “the above description of parliament affronts the dignity of parliament and you are therefore required to show cause why you should not be punished for contempt of Parliament.” The fourth count was also related to another publication in the same 8^th April edition of For Di People with the caption, “Don’t trust Salone Parliament”.

He was similarly charged with the same particulars of offence like in the previous charge. The fifth charge was also cited from the same publication with caption, “Don’t trust Salone Parliament.” The ACC boss has reportedly told the committee that in some of the publications he was misquoted.

SLPP SUPPORTERS LAUD DEMOCRATIC SPIRIT WITHIN RULING PARTY

Wednesday April 20, 2005

Reproduced after unscrupulous hackers erased the original article

Supporters of Sierra Leone’s oldest and most durable political party have praised the sipirit of democracy and maturity within the political organization .

Talking to the COCORIOKO  newspaper on Monday, SLPP supporters said that what appeared like strife from members vying for the positions within the ruling party was infact a good sign that democratic principles were taking hold in the party. 

In recent times, top officials of the SLPP have been attacking each other as tensions continue to boil over who become Chairman  and Standard Bearer , ahead of the party’s national convention coming soon. And on Monday COCORIOKO  speculated that cracks may be opening up in the party.

But on Monday evening, many supporters of the party living in New York and New Jersey called this paper to say that the rumbles within the party over the two sensitive positions showed that there was democracy within the party. They explained that unlike other political parties, the SLPP did not support the idea of the President handpicking his successor or the Chairman of the party. They believed that every position must be contested and the people should decide who occupy those important positions.

SLPP supporters went on to condemn the undemocratic method used by the late President Siaka Stevens to decide his successor in 1985. They said that President Stevens handpicked his military commander, Major General Joseph Saidu Momoh to be his successor because he wanted to reward the general for not overthrowing the APC  government during Shaki’s disastrous rule from 1968- 1985. President Kabbah, they argued, will not be allowed to do the same in the SLPP.

The supporters bragged that the difference between the SLPP and other political parties was that the SLPP  was accountable to the people who voted them in power. The party, they continued, believed that every step of the way the pro-SLPP electorate must decide who represents them.

During the forthcoming SLPP National Convention , Vice-President Solomon Berewa will contest the Standard Bearer position with many heavyweights in the party .Three of them -Lawyer Charles Margai, son of the former Prime Minister, Sir Albert Margai; Dr. Lansana Nyalley and former military junta leader Brig.Gen. Julius Maada-Bio have already declared their intentions .

EUROPEAN UNION RELEASES FUNDS FOR REOPENING OF SIERRA RUTILE

Monday April 18, 2005

By Tamba Borbor in Freetown

The European Union (EU) has released Eighteen Million Euros for the re-opening of the Sierra Leone Rutile mines. This first disbursement is part of the total Twenty-five million Euros EU loaned to Sierra Rutile Limited.

According to a Press Release from the EU, the funding enables the rehabilitation, development and expansion of the mine, which was badly damaged during the war. The project is to be followed by a second phase for further expansion of the mine with the introduction of a second dredge.

The objective of the EU finding to the project include economic and social development in Sierra Leone; increased Government revenue and poverty alleviation. The re-opening of the Sierra Rutile Mine is expected to greatly contribute to the economic and social development in the area surrounding the Mines. The EU finding is matched with conditions to ensure compliance with international social and environmental standards.

Sierra Rutile in supporting these goals is required to start a non-profit foundation to support development in the communities surrounding the Mines. Furthermore, the EU will provide long-term technical assistance to the Ministry of Mineral Resources to monitor and support the mines rehabilitation. After repayment of the loan capital and interest by Sierra Rutile Limited, the funds would be utilized for economic diversification projects in Bonthe district for the construction of hospitals and school, revision of mining and environmental laws, institutional strengthening and other support to the Ministry of Mineral Resources, road maintenance and geological and geophysical exploration.

The support to the Sierra Rutile Mine is part of the EU’s Two hundred and Twenty-eight million Euros portfolio allocation to Sierra Leone for 2002-2007 under the 9th European Development Fund (EDF).

PEEP! 16 February 2005

“IGNORANT ATTORNEY-GENERAL SHOULD RESIGN IMMEDIATELY!”
Peep! editor blows mind on 72 hour illegal detention
“CAREW MUST RESIGN NOW!”
Peep! editor tells American human rights group

Attorney-General F.M. Carew is ignorant of the law, an enemy of press freedom and should resign from office immediatel for illegally detaining a journalist on flimsy charges.

This is the opinion of our editor Olu Awoonor-Gordon which he shared on Monday with representatives of the Committee To Protect Journalists based in New York.

Reasons

CPJ called to ask Mr Awoonor-Gordon, who spent over 60 hours in police custody, the reason for his detention.”My arrest was as complete a mystery to me as my dramatic release was ?ten minutes before I was due to go on trial for seditious libel”.

fingerprints

Mr Awoonor-Gordon said he’d already been fingerprinted and his charge file forwarded to the courts.”I believe only the personal intervention of President Kabbah saved me from
facing the court”.Describing the allegation of seditious libel as “ridiculous”, Olu Gordon
said Attorney General Carew was either totally ignorant of the law or he was determined to squeeze press freedom to death.

Resign

“In either case he should resign. It’s not just that he illegally deprived me of my liberty; it’s frightening to think what such a man will do to the fragile press freedoms we’ve won through our blood, sweat and sacrifices”.

The A.G’s argument that our Friday February 11 article “Kabbah Says Okere
Stays!” was “inciting”.

Tribalism

He told Mr Awoonor-Gordon that by mentioning that AC indicted Marine minister Okere Adams was a “strong Northern ally” of 2007 presidential aspirant Solomon Berewa and comparing his case with those of sacked formeministers Harry Will and Momoh Pujeh, he Gordon was stirring up “ethnic hatred”.

“This is an extremely stupid argument because I never mentioned the Ethnicity of either Pujeh or Will in the story” Gordon told the New YorK human rights group.

“I don’t know why Mr Carew should read tribalism into that story.

Double standards

My simple point ? and this is an indisputable fact ? Momoh Pujeh and Harry Will were sacked when indicted by the ACC; Okere-Adams hasn’t been. This is a case of double-standards and the only logical reason is because Okere is
politically valuable to the incumbent Administration”.

Orders from above

Mr Awoonor-Gordon also castigated the police whom, he said, have yet to shed the ‘Orders from Above’ mentality which led to the downfall of the APC One-Party system.

“This is supposed to be a democracy. The police are supposed to know that they must have tangible evidence before they charge someone with a crime;especially a State Crime as serious as seditious libel”. “It’s not enough to simply frame a case based on the whim of a politician”
he said.The Peep! editor said he was weighing his options; “my arrest and detention
were clearly illegal”.

Trouble ahead

He warned that unless press freedom was respected in this country… “the fight against corruption will be impossible…the future will be grim”.All seditious libel charges against Mr Awoonor-Gordon were dropped by the
police on Monday afternoon.

Hymn For Today

The HYMN for TODAY as an appropriate LENTEN theme to it… As we comment on the attempts by Attorney-General Fre(Flintstone) Carew to undermine FREEDOM of SPEECH and of the PRESS

Tune: Forty Days And Forty Nights

1.
Three whole days and three whole nights!
Gordon* in cell made his bed!
Three whole days and three whole nights*!
Sent there by that fool called FRED!

2.
Arrested last Friday noon…
When we published edition
It seemed like a weird cartoon
Faced big charge of sedition!

3.
Sedition!! A serious crime…
‘Plan to disturb public peace’!
Sedition!! Means long jail-time..
For talking ’bout press release??**

4
Fred Carew called the police..
Obediently they went…
“Arrest that journalist please”
Stupidly off they were sent…

5.
Is it now a State offence…
To express a point of view?
When we say in our defence…
Story on Okere’s TRUE!

NOTE: *Olu Awoonor-Gordon spent 66 hours in cells following an ‘invitation’from CID…
**The actual BONE of CONTENTION was Mr Carew’s believe that our comment on the State Lodge press release that Okere-Adams was a “strong northern ally of Solomon Berewa as the 2007 transition approaches.” and therefore was NOT
sacked upon ACC indictment, like Harry Will and Momoh Pujeh, was INCITEMENT; “designed to pit northerners against people from the south and east”.

Since we did not, at any time, mention ANYTHING about either Will or Pujeh’s ethnic origins, this surely proves that the real BONE is in the Honourable Attorney-General’s head.

Great Police Mysteries Of Our Times…

1. Do the police ever tell a politician ‘No’ when asked to arrest a
journalist…?

2. Is an ‘invitation’ the same as an “arrest” in the police dictionary?
What happens if, in answer to a police invitation, the invited person says
‘no thank you…go f**k yourself”? Will he then be arrested for ‘failing to
honour a police invitation’?

3. Is it legal for the cops to have PRE-PREPARED (signed) search warrants
in their office drawers? Shouldn’t they have to make a STRONG CASE before a
magistrate or judge for violating the privacy of a citizen’s home before
they are given a SEARCH WARRANT?

4. Is it true that your POLITICAL LOYALTY to the Powers-That-Be determines
how high you arise in the force? And shouldn’t we DE-POLITICIZE the POLICE
COUNCIL, bringing in a neutral citizen to replace SMOKY SOLO B as head of
that important body?

5. Is KPAKA of Central Police listening? Did you really believe you’d get
away with that comment that journalists should be locked up for “disturbing
the peace of our government”?

Yes, we know you’re the son of old MANNAH KPAKA the SLPP veteran…. But as a POLICE OFFICER aren’t you supposed to do your duty in a professional,non-biased manner? Or do you think SLP (Sierra Leone Police) is really SLPP
with a missing letter? (ar nor BEGIN wit you yet! ha! ha!).

PROFESSOR PEEP’S PAGE
ten reasons why Okere’s case is different from Bill Clinton’s

One of the most AMAZING THINGS about that State Lodge press release last Wednesday was its BIZZARE LOGIC…

While The Professor entirely agrees that a man is INNOCENT until proven GUILTY…the State Lodge release surely picked a very WEIRD PARALLEL to make its point.

“It will be recalled that when former President Bill Clinton was accused and impeached, following investigations by an independent investigator, he remained in office as President until he was tried and then acquitted”.

How this RELATES to the case of Ibrahim Okere-Adams, the Marine minister indicted by the Anti-Corruption Commission, is a complete mystery to all of
us at this newspaper. (Fifi is particularly puzzled! ha! ha!).

TEN GLARING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BILL CLINTON’S CASE AND THE CASE OF
OKERE-ADAMS

1. The independent investigator in Clinton’s case didn’t have to send his
report to the U.S. Attorney-General’s office…where it would have gathered
DUST in a safe.

2. Bill Clinton was nabbed for lying about his “sexual relationship” with
Monica Lewinsky…. Okere was tabbed for tiffi-tiffi.

3. A U.S. president RESIGNING is a big issue – only one has ever done so in
America (sic.) history)… sacking OKERE (like Harry Will or Momoh Pujeh
were sacked) would be NO BIG THING (only young juvvies would miss him! ha!
ha!).

4. In U.S., journalists didn’t get locked up and charged for SEDITIOUS
LIBEL for covering Clinton’s escapades (surprise! no seditious libel laws
in the U.S. of A.!)

5. Starr Report into Clinton’s activities published
openly…Anti-Corruption files on Okere shrouded in SECRECY…

6. Bill Clinton is a clever and committed politician who could charm the
birds out of the trees with a smile and kind word…Okere is only one stage
removed from a THUG…

7. Unlike Clinton…favourite son of his Arkansas home-town…people in
MAGBURAKA dislike OKERE intensely…

8. Clinton doesn’t have a track-record of stealing from every institution
he’s worked in…

9. And at least…although he’s a serial WOMANISER…he makes sure his
BABES are ABOVE the Age of Consent.

10. The tenth difference between the Clinton and Okere cases?
Clinton was INNOCENT (ha!  ha!).

GYUDE BRYANT , THE GRINCH WHO  STOLE CHRISTMAS

Monday December 27, 2004

Many Liberians ate their chicken and collard green stew and the streetside bars and clubs were relatively  more packed than previous years, but Christmas in the Lone Star Republic this year lacked even more vim as lots of workers failed to cash their Xmas checks.

The National Transitional Government of Liberia ( NTGL)   disbursed workers checks for the holidays and stirred high expectations of an enjoyable Christmas in a country where employees are paid their salaries once in a blue moon.

However, after enduring very long lines at banks , Liberians were dismayed when their salary checks bounced. More vigorous attempts in succeeding days drew more blanks as banks refused to cash the checks because there were no funds .

OUR CORRESPONDENT JLATEH DOE REPORTS :

The Christmas in Liberia was dry this year because most workers were unable to cash their holiday checks and this has exercerbated the distrust between the Liberian people and the National Transitional Government of Liberia ( NTGL). The checks to government workers were finally disbursed after first the soldiers and then the students went on the rampage in Monrovia to demand payment of salary arrears , in the case of the students  for   their teachers of the Monrovia Consolidated Schools System ( MCSS) .Many students were arrested for disorderly conduct and they have already made their first appearance in court.

The Liberian public blames Chairman Gyude Bryant mainly for the salary snafu, accusing him of failing to deliver on most of his promises since he replaced President Charles Taylor in September 2003. Though his selection caused optimism among the Liberian people, Chairman Bryant has been unable to control the escalating  prices of food, especially rice and other basic commodities like fuel and kerosine. Salaries of government workers have remained unpaid for months and Liberians remain in darkness, following the failure of  Chairman Bryant to restore electricity to the capital for Christmas as he also promised. Christmas was spent in darkness as only those with generators could be seen enjoying light at night .

Two weeks ago, market women and men showed their anger for Chairman Bryant when they  tried to attack him when he paid an unannounced trip to Waterside. The Interim leader, misinformed about his unpopularity with the masses , went to Waterside in a political ploy to associate with the masses and gain the image of a leader who cares. Instead, he met a hostile reception as crowds moved in to vent their frustration on him. If it was not for the UN soldiers, Chairman Bryant would have been jumped and badly beaten.

With his name already in the mud, Chairman Bryant gained more unpopularity when his government gave out Christmas checks that bounced, leaving Liberians expressing anger that the government had spoilt their Christmas. One old man Flomo grumbled at Mechlin Street : “People ain’t even got money to buy chicken to eat for Christmas. This Christmas came bad for all of us .What time this  suffering will end  in Liberia ?”

One young man did not hesitate to compare this Christmas to some spent during the reign of th President Charles Taylor : “Even in papay’s time, people  used to have something to shop and eat  for Christmas .They told that  us if Papay goes, things will improve for us in Liberia. Now, Papay is gone for almost two years now and  nothing has changed. “.

BIG FINANCIAL RELIEF FOR GUMA VALLEY DAM

Saturday August 7, 2004

By Sampson Cole from Freetown

The Guma Valley Water Company has received a financial
boost from Colonial Development Corporation (CDC)
Group PLC which has been renamed Commonwealth
Development Finance Company Limited for a loan of
almost three million pounds sterling (2,777,278.83
Pounds) dated 26th April 1962.

CDC Group PLC has waived the loan in a letter sent to Guma Valley last
week stating that it “unconditionally, irrevocably and
absolutely waives all of its rights, demands and
remedies, whether past, present or future in respect
of (I) the security, (II) repayment of the loan and
(III) in relation to the payment of any other amounts
arising from the loan agreement including, but not
limited to, any amount due as interest in respect of
commitment fee(s) or otherwise and further
unconditionally, irrevocably and absolutely releases
the borrower from any outstanding claims,
undertakings, obligations and liabilities, whether
actual or contingent, in respect of the same.” Huw
Williams who is the Investment Principal for and on
behalf of CDC Group PLC signed the letter

. Speaking to the Chairman of the Board- Foday Sawi, he said the
Board was very happy to receive the letter, as they
were thankful, adding that it has relieved them of a
big financial burden. Asking what might have been the
waiver, Mr. Sawi said that he thinks the CDC Group
might have taken into consideration the ten-year-old
civil war and the strides Guma is making to meet the
customers’ demands. He reiterates that they will
always be in touch with the CDC Group for future
assistance.

The Acting Financial Controller of Guma-
Mr Yillah disclosed that they were happy to receive
the waiver because they should have been paying Le1
billion yearly to offset the loan. “Now that we have
received such boost, we would now be able to use such
funds for other commitments,” he said. The Finance man
explained that this loan was for the construction of
the Mile 13 and Congo Dams and for the Reservoirs. He
said that these assets are still in use and the whole
country should be thankful for the waiver.

Mr Yilla stressed that they have been paying the loan since the
late 80s before they stopped due to financial
difficulties. He said that just few weeks ago, they
worked out the interest they should have paid which
amounted to Le 534 million. “These monies are to be
paid in hard currencies which nowadays is difficult to
get,” he said. Mr Yillah said that it is a welcomed
relief and they- the Management are happy for the
waiver.

In another development, the Acting Chief
Engineer- Mr Awoonor-Williams told Awoko that the
rains in the last two weeks have really increased the
level of the dam, which is about 46ft to spill over
level as at Monday. He said that because of the
increase, the quality of water has increased
considerably and that they will continue to supply the
23 million gallons a day. He however appealed to the
public to report any leaks to the company, as the
quantity of wastage is too high. Mr Awoonor-Williams
said that if the wastage is controlled, they would be
able to expand their supply to all the areas that are
been going without pipe- borne water. He again
appealed to the general public that they should
continue to pay their bills, as that is the only means
of revenue for the company.

MASSIVE FRAUD AT NATIONAL PETROLEUM

By Sampson Cole

Monday July 26, 2004

The top management of the National Petroleum (NP)
Company with Headquarters at Cotton Tree has called in
the Criminal Investigations Department of the police
to help them unearth the true facts leading to the
loss of tens of millions of leones of the oil
company’s money.

According to sources close to the
company, dealers and their agents of the NP stations
at Wilberforce, Brookfield’s, Sanders street and the
Freetown Waterloo Road are being asked to explain how
they have been receiving more than one load of fuel
with receipts bearing different amounts of money but
the same serial number.

The practice , according to a
source,  who prefers anonymity is that when the dealers
want to buy products from the company they pay in cash
or cheques and are then issued a receipt, which is
then taken to the accounts clerk who prepares an
invoice for the amount of fuel to be supplied.

Our source explained that it was discovered that fake
receipts were printed bearing the same serial numbers
of receipts used earlier on and then submitted as
fresh payments with new and increased amounts for
which invoices were made and fuel supplied. It is not
clear when this practice started, but we understand
that investigations are stretching as far back as
January 2004. Police is questioning several people
including company personnel at the headquarters.

Four agents (names withheld) are believed to be on the run.
Members of the top management have kept sealed lips
over the issue and are refusing to answer questions
from the press. Police officers at the CID have
however confirmed that they are involved in the
investigations, although they too are reluctant to
speak with the press.

POLICE CONSTABLE CALLS CUSTOMS OFFICERS ECONOMIC SABOTEURS

By Samson Cole

Thursday August  5, 2004

A Police Constable who is alleged to have taken a Le4
million bribe from smugglers has turned the spotlight
on the Customs Officers whom he claims are economic
saboteurs.

 According to Police Constable 7974 Serry
Abdul of the OSD, he was recently attached to the NRA
Customs Anti-Smuggling Task Force (ASTF) when they
went on operations at Mange in the Kambia district. He
explained that at no time did he have anything to do
with the smugglers except to guard their impounded
vehicle.

He narrated how the Custom Officers went on
patrol and were supposed to have reached Kukuna- a
small border town with a river where smugglers cross
from Guinea into Sierra Leone with small boats full of
their contraband goods. He explained how they had set
the time to catch these smugglers but that the Custom
Officers wasted time as the Squad Leader- Mr. Alusine
Kamara delayed them till 6 p.m.

 By the time they got
to the crossing point, he said, all the smugglers had
finished their operations, as they received
information that the operations normally take place
between 2-6 p.m.) “We then boarded our Landrover and
went back to Mange where we had left the two vehicles
arrested earlier,” he stated. One of the vehicles, he
explained was about 200 metres from the checkpoint.

The Police Constable also said that the smugglers and
owners of the vehicle begged and offered the Custom
Officers a bribe of Le 4m but they insisted on
collecting Le 5m before they would release the
trailers. He also said, “one Mr. Daramy, a known
smuggler came to the scene pretending to beg for the
release of the trailers while his actual mission was
to negotiate for his own vehicles which were coming to
pass through unhindered. This even resulted in a
heated argument between himself and one Mr. James who
was the owner of the seized vehicles.

Meanwhile, he alleged that Mr. Daramy who had a big black coat on
was spending money on everybody. Then somebody came
and hinted me that two vehicles were coming and had
parked up the road. When I told our leader Alusine
Kamara who is a former Staff Sergeant, he told me that
we should leave those ones pass, as we had not come
for that. When I tried to protest, he told me that I
was a Policeman who knew nothing about Customs
operations and that I should obey instructions,” he
narrated.

The Police said he also heard their driver-
Pa Saidu Kamara calling their attention to the two
trailers but was told to “forget it.” He said that he
was then told to guard one of the trucks- RC 4151. He
went on, “at a point, these trailers we had arrested
protested that if the two trailers that belonged to
Mr. Daramy were not arrested and brought down to
Freetown with them, they will not come with us. One of
the trailers broke down while the other was allowed to
turn around Two trailers were escorted to pass through
the checkpoint with one bearing registration No. RC
6041, which the officers said, had paid Le17 million.

Meanwhile, some traders at the junction said that they
saw the officers receiving money, which was well over
Le 25 million from Daramy wrapped in a black coat.
When I insisted that these vehicles should be brought
down to Freetown, they complained that they would make
sure that I do not follow them again. They then
abandoned me with the trailer RC 4151 which is now at
the Customs. They only gave me Le8, 000 to eat and
left me for a whole day. We had reached Masiaka before
they appeared the next day at 5.30 p.m after leaving
me around 10 p.m the previous night. They claimed that
some of the goods had been removed from one of the
vehicles while I pointed out that I was alone with
five arrested trailers.”

He also said that two of the
vehicles eventually escaped while two broke down;
adding that he succeeded in bringing one RC 6042 to
Freetown. He insisted that he did not take a penny and
that the Custom officers were only trying to frame him
for doing his job, which tended to block their
activities.