Members of the Timber Association of Sierra Leone have accused the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for LEADWAY of not only defrauding the Government billions of Leones, but also allegedly defrauding the association and driving away potential investors.
It was revealed that the Chinese investors in the timber trade have paid for their loaded containers for exportation over the past eight months before the ban on timber exportation. Sources further revealed that when the ban on timber exportation was effected by the government, Mr. Babadi Kamara went down to Water Quay and offloaded lots of containers, unknowing to the Chinese investors that bought the timber and had paid in full all charges involved. The dissatisfied association members disclosed that the Chinese investors have paid for over 400 containers for the past eight months, but Kamara has refused to hand over the containers to the disappointed Chinese investors.

According to one of the disappointed members of the Timber Association, the most painful part of the issue is that Babadi Kamara failed call the association, which is controlling the activities of the timber business in the country.
“We went to the bush to cut trees with our personal cash”, the aggrieved members fumed, and advanced that if they stop to transport timber from the bush to Freetown, Kamara wouldn’t have money, adding that he has less or no regard for the association and its membership.
Responding to question in respect of contacting Babadi Kamara on their concerns, the frustrated members of the association said that Mr. Kamara has not been picking their calls, and has been using his office to monopolize the Timber business, also that his actions have the potential to drive away investors, whose investment in the trade will create jobs for the youths. They furthered that despite many having licence to engage in the Timber trade, the directive that all transportation of Timber from the provinces to Freetown should have a signed document from Babadi’s office, has hindered their business.
They maintained that LEADWAY has not been paying dues to the Association, noting that LEADWAY documents are more expensive than those issued by the Association and all payments made to the company goes into private coffers. They maintained that Babadi Kamara has been making three times profit at the expense of the government and the nation, and has shipped over thirty thousand containers. They also disclosed that Babadi Kamara has not been contributing to the Tree Planting Project initiated by the association.
When confronted on why he didn’t call all parties involved in the trade for transparency and accountability, Babadi Kamara responded that he will hold a meeting with the Association, so as to discuss relevant matters on the progress of the trade in the country.