The Truth About The $ 21m Yoni Farm Project
Fawaz Unequivocally Proves His Innocence
In our world today, the righteous they say, most times suffer for the wicked. This is exactly the case with Abdul Hamid Hajj Fawaz (in photo), the popular Lebanese/Sierra Leonean business guru of the famous Fawaz Building Materials (FBM) as many will easily recognize him for. Recently, several media allegations relating to his involvement in a $21 million investment fraud having to do with the Yoni Farm Project were published by media outlets against him.
According to the allegations, Fawaz allegedly connived with one British criminal, Robert McKenderick, to divert over £16.9 million meant for a rice project called Yoni Farm into their pockets among others. As was stated in our previous article, this medium gave Mr. Fawaz the equal opportunity to respond to the allegations published and in doing so, the true story behind the whole Yoni Farm Project Saga was established.
With the multiple evidence abound to this medium, Sierra Express Media can now authoritatively state without any hesitation that Fawaz is unequivocally innocent and was never part of the evil plot orchestrated by Robert McKenderick and his gang of criminals. As a matter of fact, Fawaz himself also fell prey to those crooks who disguised themselves as investors. For the benefit of the reading populace, I will attempt to bring the details of what transpired between Fawaz, McKenderick, his criminal gang and the poor Sierra Leoneans who suffered the most in the whole Yoni Rice Saga.
In 2009, Robert McKenderick and his gang of criminals from UK came to Sierra Leone on the pretext of investing in agriculture and specifically in rice farming. Upon arrival, the story continues, Robert and his group clandestinely went to Yoni and manipulated the inhabitants into giving their plots of land in lease amounting to 4,300 acres for pittances and of which only 3,000 acres had lease agreement in the name of a 50 year investment.
After Robert and his gang had gone deep into the fraud, Hamid Fawaz was brought innocently into the picture through Agri Capital SL, a company that was registered in order to carry out the project objectives. Unknowingly, Fawaz being a business man bought 20% shares in the company. Being an experienced man in agricultural production with excellent contacts in Sierra Leone, he was appointed Marketing and Distribution Director in Agri Capital SL where he was to oversee the production, distribution and sales of the rice in Sierra Leone.
With these arrangements being made, Robert and his gang left for the UK to lure investors, who are mostly pensioners, into putting their money into the project.
After getting over 160 pensioners put their money into the Yoni Rice Farm project, totaling £16.9 million, Robert diverted the money into forming a new company in 2012 called Capital Mining Ltd. in order to get Fawaz out as Shareholder. As if that was not enough, Robert changed Agri Capital SL to African Land and sold all the shares in the London Stock Exchange without the knowledge of Fawaz. With this and many other fraudulent activities of Robert, Fawaz now certainly knows that the he was dealing with a criminal and hence decided to quit all his dealings with him (Robert). But however, the decision of Fawaz to quit was not welcomed by Robert because of the financial implications it would have on him and his gang of convicts and therefore pleaded with him to continue to stay with them to which Fawaz out rightly refused.
In February, 2014 in what is described as a twist of events, Robert, his gang of criminals and entities were taken to court in UK by the FCA for multiple fraudulent activities including defrauding over 160 pensioners among others and were convicted; a result which led to freezing most of his money and assets in UK.
After all efforts from Fawaz to get his money and the 20% profit that due him yielded no dividend, Fawaz also used the last alternative and sued Robert and his group to court here in Sierra Leone where the court ordered Robert to surrender all equipments, machinery, tools and all other hardware located in the store or warehouse to Fawaz among other orders for his money and his 20% profits.
With all the above events been unfolded, it is very clear that Fawaz did nothing wrong in the entire business and transactions that took place.
In our next edition, we shall publish all the documents relating to the entire business transaction that surrounds the $21M Yoni Rice Farm Fraud orchestrated by Robert McKenderick.
By Ibrahim Alusine Kamara
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