VP Extols Timber Investigation …Says it will be a plus to Government”
Consequent to letter written the US Secretary of State, Honorable Hillary Clinton by reportedly 19 congress members, the Vice President of Sierra Leone, Samuel Sam Sumana has exalted a request for a swift and uncompromising investigation as good supposition.
“It’s good having government institute full-scale investigations on claims that top government officials and private business people overindulge in soliciting bribes in exchange for permission to illegally and destructively engage in logging operations in Sierra Leone,” VP Sumana said.
“For all I know,” he continued, “the Aljazeera/Sorious Samura footage appears to have no ‘jot’ of truth that money indeed changed hands in any of the offices housing the Vice President’s workplace.”
“Thank God, Sorious Samura has himself told the worldwide viewers that he was unsure that I, Vice President Sumana was of the fact (knowledgeable) that bribes solicited from the camouflaged journalists turned timber business agents have my blessing.”
Aljazeera TV, in the recent past, published a video picturing a Sierra Leonean photo journalist, Sorious Samura reporting to viewers the world over that, in Sierra Leone, you can pay US$2000 as registration to see the country’s Vice President.
It was also mentioned by Sorious Samura in the footage that the US$2000 bribe paid to friends of the Vice President (Alex Mansaray and Momoh Conteh) was done in one of the offices at the VP’s workplace.
Even though Sorious Samura, of late, has made a disclaimer (say the opposite) of words as in the footage nay, in a interview with a radio station 98.1 (a local station in Freetown) said ‘money did not change hands at the office of the VP of Sierra Leone,’ it’s been confirmed however that the amount in question was paid to Momoh Conteh (one of two culprits) at his business place at Percival Street in the Central District of Freetown.
Unconfirmed reports have it that the published Aljazeera footage is but a ‘set up’ and a ploy to reduce the chances of the Vice President for a second term..
Sources say however that the alleged video seemingly gives a feeling of suspicion that it is the making of desperate state politicians, who for variety of reasons- possibly the APC running mate – wants VP Sumana to not enjoy the pleasures of a second term running mate to President.
That the Minister of Internal Affairs, Musa Tarawally, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph Bandabla Dauda, the Minister of Works, Alimamy Pepito Koroma and the Kono Town Council Chairman, Diana Konomanyi all hunt the position of running mate of the governing APC in the soon to come 2012 elections.
Diana, who happened to be a District mate to VP Sumana, we are told, has made a number of attempts convincing Kono stake holders to say negative things about the Vice President to President Koroma.
It is a fact that the Aljazeera footage has not, in any form proved that the Sierra Leone Vice President was involved in corruption as said by Sorious Samura.
Information reaching this press indicates however that President Koroma and his Vice President, Sam Sumana welcome international inclusion in the investigation of allegations surrounding Sorious Samura’s claim senior officers of government overindulges into the illegal and destructive logging of timbers for exportation.
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