S/Leone, Guinea Sign MOU for Joint Judicial Investigations
By Mohamed Sankoh
The Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah has said after several diplomatic engagement with the Guinean authorities, the Government of Sierra Leone and the Guinean Government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a joint judicial investigation into the alleged cocaine issue.
He said the MOU is based on article 3, 18, 19, 20 and 21 of the United Nations Convention of the Trans National Organized Crime of 2000. He continued that the Sierra Leone Ambassador to Guinea, Alimamy Bangura and the Foreign Minister, Timothy Kabba have discussed key issues relating to the alleged cocaine and to ensure the return of Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Guinea to explained details of the incidence.
Mr. Bah Made this disclosure during the weekly government press conference on Tuesday 11th February, 2025.
The Minister further debunked the social media news about the arrest of the ambassador was not true, but government through the Minister of Foreign Affairs has addressed several underling issues surrounding the alleged cocaine issue as well as critically look into the issue thereby ensuring the country’s image is properly clean.
Mr. Bah also emphasized the significance of the investigations which according to him, the ambassador is not only the person that will be recalled, but the Head of Chancery will also be questioned in respect of the issue.
According to the Minister, sometimes last week, the government of Sierra Leone has received an official correspondence that is requesting a meeting between the Deputy Head of Mission for the Dutch Embassy in Ghana and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay Esq. that they wanted to handover documents in respect of the alleged drug lord and engage the government of Sierra Leone on the aforementioned issue.
He continued that the office of the Attorney General replied that it is looking forward to discussions and that last Thursday the Dutch government also sent representatives in two of Sierra Leone’s embassies where a meeting was held, the Dutch representative’s handed over documents addressed to both the Attorney General and the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Sierra Leone.
Meanwhile, Sierra Leone through the Attorney General and Minister of Justice has received documents in respect of extradition request, but it will be properly look into and advice accordingly by the AG, adding that when such request is made it must align with Sierra Leone’s laws as well as the country that is requesting and the evidence use to convict a person must be submitted to Sierra Leone as part of our evidence and it must meet our threshold in the opinion of the Attorney General who will make an application to the court for an individual to have access to legal representation, hence government will enforce the request, the minister emphasized.
The Minister concluded by saying Sierra Leone has once made an extradition request of one Adebayoh who is living in the Netherlands who has caused many lives and properties lost and that the request was made on two separate occasions, but proved fruitless.
