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Sierra Leone: Kemoh Sesay Sacked for Police to Arrest
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Concord Times (Freetown)
5 August 2008
Posted to the web 5 August 2008
Tanu Jalloh
Sacked minister of transport and aviation Ibrahim Kemoh Sesay could be arrested and charged as the twentieth accused for offences directly related to the July 12 cocaine bust at the Lungi international airport.
Like the nineteen others standing trial for similar offences the new anti drugs law may not affect his case, but if it does, in which case it would have contravened section 23 (7) of the 1991 constitution, Kemoh Sesay may be liable on conviction to a fine not less than thirty million leones or to a term of imprisonment not less than ten years.
But the attorney general and minister of justice had earlier refused to comment on the invocation of the possible retrospective powers of the new anti drugs law saying "when we get to the bridge, we will cross it." This, observers say was suggestive of uncertainty.
So far none of the nineteen accused, including some eight foreigners, standing trial for unlawful possession of small arms and ammunition, conspiracy to defeat the cause of public justice was charged with cocaine related offences because there was no law.
Meanwhile, police investigating the cocaine saga and the anti corruption agency, ACC could swoop on him pending investigations into allegations that the former minister was directly involved in the cocaine deal and that he knowing received an expensive car as a gift from his brother Ahmed Sesay, also in custody for related offences.
Therefore, to allow for an unhindered probe into claims that have already cost the reputation of his government and the APC party, President Koroma yesterday hurriedly announced the dismissal of the embattled minister.
"It is announced from the office of the President that in view of the current investigations surrounding the unauthorised landing of the mysterious plane loaded with cocaine at the Lungi International Airport, it has pleased his Excellency the President to relieve Mr. Ibrahim Kemoh Sesay of his duties as minister of transport and aviation, pending the conclusion of these investigations." According to the statement the decision has been necessitated by the need to facilitate ongoing investigations in providing unfettered access to everyone and everywhere the investigations demand.
Before now, calls for the minister to resign his position have overwhelmed newspaper reports since the incident on July 12 but he has constantly refused to yield to pressure on the grounds that he was innocent.
In one of his recent articles veteran media analyst and head of the open government initiative (OGI) Karamoh Kabba stated that there was a lot of hue and cry about the cocaine plane incident "that has been further exacerbated by blistering headlines from the local press, all conjectures, that transport and aviation minister Kemoh Sesay has knowledge of the cocaine transhipment." He said even more difficult for the minister "is the fact that his brother, Ahmed Sesay, also the national soccer team manager, is one of those already in police custody for alleged connection with the cocaine plane." However, there have been strong indications that the President was hell bent on bringing the culprits to book.
According to the minister of presidential and public affairs Alhaji Alpha Kanu the President, upon hearing the news of the cocaine plane on his way from The Gambia vowed that: "Even if my mother is involved in this, she will not be protected." However, the national drugs control Act (2008) which replaces the old dangerous drugs Act is expected to update the fight against the menace of drugs and to bring Sierra Leone in line with international drug control Conventions to which it is a signatory.
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The new law makes possession and use of hard drugs a criminal offence with mandatory imprisonment of not less than five years (Section 8).
Thanks to the president for a wise decition taken to relieved the minister, Kemoh sesay from his duty to allow fear trial to take it cause. this is a clear manifestation of attitudinal change.We are hoping for a better sierra leone.
What took you so long?
THE COCAINE TRADE IS A FAMILY BUSINESS FOR KEMOH SESAY AND THE OTHER SIBLINGS OF HIS "MAMA AND PAPA". PRESIDENT KOROMA AND MOST OF HIS MINISTERS AND ADVISERS ARE NECK DEEP IN THE TRAFFICING GAME. THE APC PARTY'S 2007 ELECTION CAMPAIGN WAS WHOLLY FUNDED BY COCAINE MONEY. I'M AFRAID, NOTHING WILL COME OUT OF THE CASE. "NAR BUFF CASE"; THE SUSPECTS WILL EITHER BE RELEASED ONE BY ONE, OR A JAIL BREAK ORGANISED BY THE APC TASK FORCE IN COLLUSION WITH APC CHILDREN IN THE MILITARY, POLICE AND PRISONS DEPT.
Nothing will come out of this.Kemoh is a strong supporter of the Party (morally, financially and Physical), and will be soon discharged by the Court and could be appointed Minister of Finance
President Koroma is yet to show his commitment to zero tolerance.
In mature parliamentary democracies, it is customary for a minister who comes under a cloud to voluntarily resign.
This is a new dawn for Sierra Leone and so all "square pegs in round holes" will be eliminated. In our race to catch up with the rest of the world, it is imperative that we rid ourselves of every excess baggage that has been weighing us down, whether it be people or habits. We will therefore sacrifice sleep until Sierra Leone has attained her God-given destiny. Patriotism is the buzz word.
The problem with your "patriotism" argument is that it has no backbone. First, a couple of hypotheses: Sierra Leone is actually a fascist state, governed by identical parties with different names: accordingly, APC = SLPP, and vice versa. Both parties represent stakeholders who are not accountable to the people of Sierra Leone, and NO ANTAGONISM subsists among the behind the scenes stakeholders. None. Accordingly, the so-called political parties are rickety puppets on the 'political' stage.
I know the stakeholders, and you will never see their names in the silly Sierra Leone newspapers.
Accordingly, the best... [Read Full Text]
I cannot agree more with Watchtower.Patroitsm must be the "buzz word" if the country is "to catch up with the rest of the world".Sierra leone, like most other underdeveloped countries, which aspires for socio-economic, political growth and advancement, cannot afford to remain glued with the politics as usual or "sham" politics, as Jallohlaw simply characterized it and be content.SIERRA LEONEANS must make a turning point or call it a U-turn from somewhere or something, and move forward by incremental steps."Rome was not built in a day".SIERRA LEONE is now a democracy,the task is before its leadership to build or ... [Read Full Text]
I reassert my thesis: The state of Sierra Leone is a shadow state serving interests that are hidden from the public. Accordingly, the concept of "patriotism" to such a state is vacuous. Under the postulated theoretical constraint, patriotism requires the obliteration of the socio-political structures of the APC and the SLPP, for these vultures of Sierra Leone are the most unpatriotic structures in Sierra Leone. Personally, they serve the same cloaked interests; hence their alleged difference, whether wrapped in the garb of 'tribal' or 'regional' affiliation, morphs, given the information I have on their sponsors, ... [Read Full Text]
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