What was widely condemned as sheer arrogance from the Anti Corruption Commissioner Abdul Tejan-Cole in his refusal to provide clarity on the controversial ACC investigation of Minister Haja Afsatu Kabba ended yesterday, March 9th 2010, when he broke his silence on the matter.
Commissioner Tejan-Cole spoke on Radio FM98.1 yesterday morning in which he handled varied issues emerging out of the controversy.
Unfortunately, he threatened of possible obstruction charges to be levied against Dauda Kallon Esq, the man whose entry into the saga sparked off the latest round of heated debates in the city. Within a few hours of Tejan-Cole’s interview, Dauda Kallon fired off yet another letter to him.
Dauda Kallon, Esq.
Politician & Youth Activist
12 Off Femi Turner Drive, Goderich, Freetown.
Telephone: +23276754515 +23233754525 +23288344917
Mr. Abdul Tejan-Cole
Commissioner, Anti Corruption Commission (ACC)
2, Gloucester Street, Freetown.
9th March 2010
Dear Sir,
YOUR NOT-SO-SUBTLE THREATS AGAINST ME OVER FM98.1 THIS MORNING
It is once again my lot to pen down another Open Letter to you. First of all, I wish to assure you that I am fully committed to the important fight against the disease of corruption that has ravaged this country for decades and which cancer needs to be vigorously struck down wherever it rears its ugly head. However, in fighting corruption, we must not lose sight of the fact that the fight can be unscrupulously converted into a tool for persons with scores to settle against leading political figures. The examples abound all over the world of such misuse of the fight against corruption. Easy examples that come to mind are the serious allegations of corruption levied against former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and against the current President of South Africa Jacob Zuma; which two examples were later debunked despite the intense steam the allegations railroaded into town with. We should learn to be cautious in this important fight!
This is why I am particularly dismayed at the manner in which you have sought to react to my Open Letter to you of March 5th 2010. I am not at all amused with your openly stated threat to possibly charge me to court for what you claim would be "obstruction" of the Anti Corruption Commission in its work. With all due respect to you, Sir, how could you even think of this let alone say it over public radio? Commissioner Sir, how precisely would I be obstructing the ACC? Was it by listening to the conversation between the Lisks at State House? Was it by swearing to an affidavit the contents of what I overheard? Was it by making public the contents of what I heard? Was it by going to the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Transparency & Accountability to demand they get answers from you over growing citizens’ concerns? How would I be accused of "obstructing" your work?
On the contrary, what I expected you to have done upon receipt of such serious concerns, was to have launched an immediate investigation into the veracity of what I was saying. For example, with all the resources available to you, you can easily verify whether Dauda Kallon or Mr. Melvin Lisk is the liar over the issue of Mr. Melvin Lisk claiming this morning to the same FM98.1 Radio that he was not even inside the room. My Affidavit clearly states names of persons like Mr. Philip Conteh of Attitudinal Change who addressed me whilst I was seated behind the Lisks. I also named Fish Magnate Mrs. Annie Joy Turay as having taken my seat where I was seated. So, for Mr. Melvin Lisk to now tell the world through FM98.1 that he was not even inside the room can be easily verified to know who is the Liar.
To assist you Commissioner Sir, please find attached to this Letter, a DVD Plate which contains a Video Recording of the Event at State House. After you watch Mr. Melvin Lisk seated INSIDE THE ROOM next to Mrs. Lilian Lisk with Mrs. Annie Joy Turay seated immediately behind them during the proceedings, it should help you to know who, between myself and Mr. Melvin Lisk, is the Liar.
Commissioner Sir, please rest assured that I am not at all intimidated by your threats uttered against me over Radio Democracy FM98.1 this morning. I am confident of what I heard which is why I have sworn oath to it. It is now up to you to convincingly tell the public that there is no suspicious document to be signed at a monetary cost by a person to be located by you and which is of such interest to the Lisks. Your assertion over Radio FM98.1 this morning that you only met with Mrs. Lilian Lisk one single time when she reported Hon. Afsatu Kabba to you and you sent her to investigators is not enough to convince the world. After that meeting, did you ever hold telephone discussions with Mrs. Lilian Lisk or have an intermediary liaise between the two of you? You should have been more clear on this aspect. You do not need to physically meet someone to communicate with them. Please assure us on this aspect. Remember that I am not accusing you of anything so far. I am just highly suspicious over what I heard from Lisks!
Another point of interest that came out in your interview this morning is your unequivocal denunciation of the leakages to journalists of information about as-yet-unpublicised investigations. Sir, it is now confirmed that Hon. Haja Afsatu Kabba was NEVER ARRESTED FOR CORRUPTION contrary to misleading information otherwise. Sir, during your Radio Broadcast this morning, you now claim a confirmation that those journalists who MISLED the world into thinking Hon. Haja Afsatu Kabba was arrested by the Anti Corruption, did not get their information from anyone working within the Anti Corruption Commission but from other alleged sources. You assert to the whole world that upon your return from overseas trip, you conducted an in-house investigation by your Standards Officers and the results show you that the source of journalists like your good friend Mr. Umaru Fofana’s erroneous broadcast over the BBC, was not from within the Anti Corruption Commission!
Distancing the ACC from Umaru Fofana’s erroneous BBC Broadcast issue is extremely ironical seeing that you personally and Mr. Umaru Fofana are such good friends!! Also, it was under your leadership that Mr. Umaru Fofana’s wife, Mrs. Editta Umaru Fofana landed the plumply paid double-job of ACC’s Procurement Manager & Administrative Manager combined; something that was hitherto unprecedented at ACC before Umaru Fofana’s wife was given the fat combined managerial positions. So, how come you expect the world to believe that the erroneous broadcast by Umaru Fofana which maliciously defamed Hon. Haja Afsatu Kabba, did not have its source of origins within your ACC, boggles the mind!
Sir, here is an extract from the deeply erroneous BBC Broadcast made by Umaru Fofana, the husband of your ACC’s Procurement & Administration Manager, Mrs. Editta Umaru Fofana:
UMARU FOFANA:- Sources at the Anti Corruption Commission have confirmed that Minister of Marine Resources, Haja Afsatu Kabba was arrested this morning. One of the most powerful members of the governing All People’s Congress party has had her passport seized and granted bail to two sureties. As I file this report, she is still being held at the ACC Headquarters in Freetown being investigated for allegedly taking bribes and abusing her office...
Finally, please find attached to this Letter a Copy of a Letter I hand-delivered yesterday to Hon. Ibrahim Bundu, Chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Transparency & Accountability and which I hope the Honourable Parliamentarians will treat with the seriousness it deserves.
Once again, rest assured that I am not intimidated by your threats to arrest me for "obstruction". I am a bonafide citizen of this Republic and whilst I fully support the fight against corruption, I will not support any effort to convert the Anti Corruption Commission into a tool. We all recall how the late Jamil Sahid Mohamed used to manipulate for the sacking of any Cabinet Minister who did not carry out the policies he demanded as tailor-fitting to his Financial Empire! We cannot allow Mrs. Lilian Lisk, the Water Bottling Magnate & Fish Magnate to transform herself into a ‘latter-day Jamil Sahid Mohamed’ who runs Sierra Leone from behind the scenes according to the whims and caprices of her bloated financial empire.
Yours truly,
Dauda Kallon, Esq.
CC: H.E. President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, CC: Hon. Haja Afsatu Kabba, CC: Hon. Speaker of Parliament Justice Abel Stronge, CC: Hon. Chairman & Members of Parliamentary Committee on Transparency & Accountability, CC: Hon. Attorney General, CC: Inspector General of Police, CC: National Ombudsman Justice Edmond Cowan, CC: Human Rights Commissioners, CC: All Diplomatic Missions in Sierra Leone, CC: The Press & Mass Media.
From Mr. Dauda Kallon, Esq.
TO: Chairman & Members of the Parliamentary
Committee on Transparency & Accountability
ATTENTION: Honourable Ibrahim R. Bundu
Monday 8th March 2010
Dear Honourable Members,
REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE IN ENSURING TRANSPARENCY FROM THE COMMISSIONER & STAFF OF THE ANTI CORRUPTION COMMISSION
I am Mr. Dauda Kallon, a 37 years old politician and youth activist in the Western Area. I wish to first commend you for strides at promoting a transparent and accountable society in Sierra Leone under the Hon. Bundu Chairmanship of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Transparency & Accountability.
Honourable MPs, please find attached to this Letter, an Open Letter I have addressed to the Commissioner of the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), Mr. Abdul Tejan-Cole alongside a Sworn Affidavit that I made past Friday at the Law Courts under Oath. The Affidavit concerns a Conversation I overheard between one Mrs. Lilian Lisk and her husband, Mr. Melvin Lisk. Letter & Affidavit are self-explanatory and reveal an issue which is extremely serious and in need of urgent clarity from the ACC.
It is in the above light that I am urgently requesting your assistance to ensure that in the true spirit of an Open, Transparent & Accountable society, Mr. Abdul Tejan-Cole clears the air on not only the issues I have raised in my Letter but also on the numerous non-transparent and non-accountable issues by and at the ACC; which have been puzzling citizens like me. There have been several press reports and unending questions raised about alleged abuse of the country’s Anti Corruption 2008 Laws by Mr. Abdul Tejan-Cole and ACC staff but contrary to expectations of Transparency, Mr. Tejan-Cole has been treating citizens’ growing concerns with utmost contempt when these issues are raised. He has simply ignored them as if citizen-taxpayers’ monies are not being used to pay him his monthly salaries and emoluments and as if he is not accountable to the people of this country.
Amongst issues that have lately been deeply bothering a lot of concerned citizens are:
The obvious mal-handling of the ongoing investigation of Hon. Haja Afsatu Kabba, Minister of Fisheries & Marine Resources and a very questionable level of integrity of ACC’s Director of Investigations & Prosecutions, Glenna Thompson whose Department needlessly sent armed policemen to Hon. Afsatu Kabba’s residence to pick up Mrs. Kabba’s husband and sons in a vicious early morning raid.
Honourable MPs, last week, Abdul Tejan-Cole went to Parliament to seek a partnership with your Committee; which partnership, he said would go a long way to combat misappropriation and corruption in Sierra Leone. I hereby wish to make a strong appeal that you not only summon Mr. Tejan-Cole to respond to the cited growing citizens’ concerns but that you include in your Partnership MOU, a strong commitment from Abdul Tejan-Cole that the ACC would henceforth be very transparent and provide speedy responses to concerns raised by the public such as growing concerns over Tejan-Cole and Glenna Thompsons’s highhandedness and alleged abuse of Sections of the Anti Corruption Act of 2008.
Honourable MPs, whilst I await your speedy response to my request, please accept the assurances of my highest possible esteem for all committee members.
Yours sincerely, Dauda Kallon, Esq.
