As we rushed to press last night, the office of the president issued a press release on the damning investigative story aired by Aljazeera television Wednesday and Thursday in its series “Africa investigates” exposing alleged corruption in timber trading involving the office of the Vice President Sam Sumana.
The release stated “Government has critically reviewed the said documentary with a view to instituting a detailed investigation of the several issues raised that suggest a serious breach of the ongoing moratorium on the logging industry in Sierra Leone.”
Furthermore “Government acknowledges and appreciates the good efforts of Al Jazeera in bringing these issues to the fore” while also maintaining that “the moratorium on the felling, processing and export of timber remains in full force.”
The release “emphatically rejects statements which are contrary to Government policy made in the programme by certain persons who are non-government functionaries,” adding that “any breach of the Law by any person, irrespective of status, will meet with the full force of the law.”
The rather short release disclosed that police and anti corruption investigations were already underway.
At the usual Information Ministry weekly press conference, the Deputy Information Minister Sheka Tarawallie acknowledged the embarrassment the documentary has caused and promised that the government will investigate.
“The story is embarrassing and we will do everything possible to investigate the issue and bring culprits to book,” he said.
“Procedure of foreign journalists coming to Sierra Leone is that the Ministry accredits them and knows their scope of work.”
He said the President has vowed to investigate the story in a bid to fulfill the campaign against corruption as there will be no sacred cow in government.
The deputy minister stated that he had already made contacts with Aljazeera editor to cross check the story in a bid to get to the bottom of the story.
He said Momoh Conteh one of the two government officials allegedly attached at the Vice President Office is reported to have fled the country for abroad while Alex Mansaray an official of the Vice President office was yesterday intercepted and unconfirmed reports say he has been arrested by the Police.
In a press release issued by the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party they called on president Koroma “to urgently act on these issues before Sierra Leone is declared a rogue state, which will have far reaching implications for the suffering of our people.”
Documentary maker Sierra Leonean born Sorious Samura posed as a businessman wanting to purchase timber logs for export.
On the other hand award winning Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, and another colleague went undercover posing as businessmen wanting to set up a logging company. They eventually visited the vice president’s office with a hidden camera and were given audience through facilitation allegedly by Momoh Konteh and Alex Mansaray.
The documentary has been widely criticized in the country and there have been increasing calls for the Vice President to explain or resign.