By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, Matthew Anderson, and Mark Feldman The Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) held a press conference on Monday 19th September 2022 in Freetown to provide updates on the voter registration exercise. The Commission also attempted to respond to the Africanist Press publication on ECSL’s US$10 million procurement scandal. The Africanist […]
By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, Anne B. Wallis, and Matthew Anderson Details on bank transfers and withdrawal records from the President’s Office in Freetown show that over US$500, 000 was withdrawn from the Central Bank of Sierra Leone (BSL) to allegedly fund personal expenses of the country’s president, Julius Maada Bio, who is currently visiting
Sierra Leone: Over US$500,000 Withdrawn for President Bio’s Expenses in New York Read More »
By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, Matthew Anderson, and Mark Feldman Sierra Leone’s national voter registration exercise for 2023 commenced on 3 September 2022, and was fraught with technical and bureaucratic challenges. Hundreds of videos and other evidence collected by Africanist Press show that thousands of potential voters who turned up at voter registration centers, mostly
By Nik Harris, Matthew Anderson, and Mark Feldman Transactions in bank statements from the Office of the First Lady provide comprehensive details on how more than Le1.3 billion was paid directly to a private company in Freetown for “fuel purchase.” The transactions violated Sierra Leone’s public finance laws and procurement regulations. The 17 payments were
By Anne Baber Wallis, Matthew Anderson, and Mark Feldman Leaked documents from the Office of the Attorney General of Sierra Leone provide new evidence on joint efforts undertaken by leading government officials and opposition party politicians to prevent Africanist Press from publishing its investigative reports on corruption and constitutional abuse by officials in the Maada
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letter was sent to the parliamentary leader of the All Peoples Congress (APC) on 8th July 2022. It was written by Africanist Press Editorial Department in response to public statements made by a member of the APC party in Parliament providing defense for President Julius Maada Bio against corruption reports published
Sierra Leone: Opposition Parliamentarians defend President’s corruption Read More »
By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah A statement attributed to Sierra Leone’s Financial Secretary, Sahr Jusu is being circulated on social media by government officials to explain and normalize a secret wire transfer of £94,050 to the Sierra Leone High Commission in London in the name of President Julius Maada Bio, who is currently on a
Sierra Leone: The Financial Secretary and Money Transfers to London Read More »
By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, Matthew Anderson, and Mark Feldman Members of Parliament (MPs) in Sierra Leone are proposing legislation that could affect thousands of votes ahead of next year’s general elections. The proposed new public elections law would replace the 2012 Public Election Act, a ten-year old law governing the conduct of public elections
By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, Matthew Anderson, and Mark Feldman Payroll documents from Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Defense reveal how officials in the Ministry of Finance developed higher monthly wages for senior commanders of the Sierra Leone military while other officers and the soldiers under their command continue to earn some of the lowest
By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, Matthew Anderson, and Mark Feldman Leaked correspondence from Sierra Leone’s Office of National Security (ONS) show that the Office of the President is planning “necessary steps” to prevent Africanist Press from publishing investigative reports detailing corruption in the Maada Bio administration. For over two years, Africanist Press has published exclusive
