Sierra Leone in Aljazeera’s pocket
The action of the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) regarding their entrapment on the Aljazeera timber documentary is seen as nothing but a cheap way of selling the country’s volatility to foreign media. The documentary is a shot in the chest of the government of Sierra Leone and they are keeping quiet about it in a manner the TV network is emerging as champion on the whole corruption outburst of a scold.
First it was the country’s second gentleman, Chief Alhaji Sam Sumana who the beam sets on the radar making it a serious indictment that Koroma’s government which is making lots of noise with their much talked about zero stances on corruption is wrapped in sheet of corruption.
A few days ago the country’s anti graft agency came to disclose that facts in the Aljazeera timber logging documentary lacks evidential threshold to establish the criminal minds of the Vice President and Chief Kandeh Finoh III. It now behooves the government to take the Aljazeera TV network to task for them to clear the mess they have placed on the country’s Vice President.
We are not expecting a sordid retraction from the Aljazeera TV network, not a quiet one because it should be meant for the whole world to see, realize and understand that the broadcasting entity lied about the Sierra Leone’s Vice President’s involvement in corruption, which they messed about. Aljazeera just can’t insult the Vice President in public and expect to beg him in the toilet for nobody’s attention. But in all of these, the Sierra Leone government is maintaining a quill calm as if they have been expecting the TV network to free them from their claws and settle for let’s all leave it as it is.
The rationality to reply is not a hard question, for it is civil for one or in this case the country to save its respite especially on grave issues like this one. Failing to challenge the TV network is providing more leeway for foreign media’s vibrant attacks and they will do it over and again.
To the nexus of exonerating the Vice President, it doesn’t make sense whatsoever for the ACC to continue charging Momoh Konte and Alex Mansaray on the same flaw chart of a documentary source which is lacking the evidential threshold for criminal prosecution. Save for some dumbfounded reasons that the ACC is looking out for a scapegoat for them to rein champions over wining nothing in the court of law.
Giving justice with one hand and taking it with one hand
The ACC says Sorious Samura’s documentary lacks evidential threshold for criminal prosecution which means they cannot use it to prosecute anybody in a court of law, yet they praise him as maker of the said documentary to be a credible journalist who has done a great job.
If the ACC is taking part of the facts of the timber clip to proffer charges against Momoh Konte and Alex Mansaray, it means they should also consider indicting Sorious Samura whose transaction in the documentary clip has been interpreted as offering and advantage, because those who allegedly received the said advantage are now being considered as corrupt individuals.
If not for the sake of selective justice this quotation from Phillip Neville’s piece of: Anti Corruption Commission Vs Law Offices of Robert E. Levine published on Thursday April 19 should be considered in place for Sorious’s indictment. It reads:
“A person who gives or agrees to give, offers an advantage to another person to cause a public officer to use his influence to obtain any work, employment, contract or other benefit from a public body commits an offence.”
In view of this section and related sections, such as section 31(2)(3), the question is why did the ACC refuse to slam charges on Sorious Samura if he claims that he offered or was asked to offer something by these private business citizens to pave the way to see the Vice President to discuss the timber deal?
How to flip out in Aljazeera’s pocket?
It is for the government to stop making their position weak and funny in the whole issue.
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