Ukrainian /Sierra Leonean Investor writes President Koroma
Victor Dumanskyi, a Ukrainian naturalised Sierra Leonean, who has been in Sierra Leone since 1993, on 25th November, 2013 writes President Ernest Bai Koroma for urgent intervention concerning a portion of land he leased at Hamilton Village, Freetown in 2005.
In a letter addressed to President Ernest Bai Koroma, copied to The Chief Justice, Speaker of Parliament, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lands Ministry, Master and Registrar, Ombudsman, ACC Commissioner, National Human Rights Commission, the media, US Ambassador, British High Commissioner, Inspector General of Police among others he called for justice.
Victor Dumanskyi leased the said land from one Dr. Baba Conteh and later purchased it after he had naturalised as a Sierra Leonean and constructed two buildings valued at about $ 2,000,000.(two million US Dollars)
According to the letter, in 2006 an action was brought against Victor Dumanskyi for the said land by one Martin Andrew Rekab by his Attorney, Dr. Andrew Rekab which stated that “Martin Andrew Rekab is entitled to the property by virtue of a Deed of Gift dated the 9th November, 2004 in terms of which his mother Mrs. Amy Cobb (nee Dwozak) conveyed the land for him.”
Victor Dumanskyi mentioned in his letter that “the entire trial process was fraught with irregularities and judicial manipulations from the aunt of Martin Andrew Rekab”, Justice Dwozak on the allegations that on few occasions the Justice personally visited the disputed land and made remarks that she would use her judicial office to ensure that Victor Dumanskyi loss the matter in court and the houses sold.
The letter reads, ‘on the 12th of July, 2012 my Lawyer Mr. Solomon Jamiru wrote a letter to Justice Vivian Solomon, the trial judge expressing concern about the decision of the judge to deliver judgement on that day when all the witnesses have not testified and the case had not been concluded.’
The letter further reads, ‘However, notwithstanding the letter by my Solicitor, the plot had been organised and ready for implementation and the Judge delivered a Judgement giving the Rekabs the right to take my land and the two houses. To make the matters worse I did not know about the Judgement against me until sometimes in 2013 when my right of Appeal had expired’.
Victor Dumanskyi further revealed in the letter that bailiffs represented by one Mr. Kallon and police officers collected money from him on the pretext that they were sent to execute the judgement, adding, “I must give them a bribe in order for them not to execute and on Thursday 21st November, 2013, Mr. Kallon ,the bailiff called me on my phone and said that his boss has given him instructions to remove me from the house the next day and that I must give $2,000 so that he can give to the police and the other bailiffs for them not to come to my house. I told him to come to my house to receive the money which I gave him”.
He further stated that after paying bribes in excess of $ 30, 000 on Friday 22nd November, 2013 bailiffs accompanied by the Mr. Kallon and over 50 police officers executed the judgement and removed all his belongings from the houses and threw them along the streets of One Mile Road at Hamilton Village, noting, “everything I had was stolen by bailiffs, police officers and passers-by and I am now disposed of my houses and personal effects.”
Victor Dumanskyi further revealed that the two houses are about to be sold by Mr. Rekab to some Russians in the sum of $8,000, “as a citizen and one who has invested his life savings in the country, I have not been treated fairly and this is the only country that I know where a judgment is delivered before the end of a case.”
He called for urgent intervention by President Ernest Bai Koroma and other concerned State Authorities in order for the property not to be sold, concluding, “I want you to put a stop to the gross abuses that I have suffered in the hands of the Administrators of Justice and Mr. Rekab.”
Upto press time this medium was unable to reached Mr. Rekab, Justice Dwozak and Mr. Kallon to comment on the issue but investigations continue.
By Abdul R. Bedor Kamara
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Charles
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Sad to read such an account but seriously people have to seriously take heed that land issues in Sierra Leone needs sorting out. There are beautiful areas in Sierra Leone better than the western area which is locked but which investors could easily be investing in. This Government must have the resolve to sort out this land tenure to open the whole country up. This situation is a disgrace everyone is owning land in Freetown no one owns land in the rest of the country. This is not tenable for future advancement
28th November 2013