By Mohamed M. Sesay (The Courier)
This is obviously not what Siera Leoneans were looking forward to, seeing former President Ernest Bai Koroma’s retirement sojourn being in a conundrum. Unlike the rise and fall of Indi Amin Dada, former President Koroma had an opportunity to rest in perpetual peace in his retirement, enjoying all of the retirement benefits in such a jocund company. However, the insatiable human wants have dragged a whole former president to be docked in the cabin of Magistrate Court No. 2 for charges of treason, among others. Could this be the actual rise and fall of the EBK legacy? Or the inevitable end of an era of former President Koroma’s alleged surreptitious sponsorship of terrorism?
It is hilarious and cacophonous that President Koroma is the first retired President in the history of Sierra Leone to be charged to court and standing accused of treason regarding his alleged involvement in the November 26th, 2023 failed coup.
Unlike the competent Court of Sierra Leone’s jurisprudence, the Courier nor ECOWAS has any locus standing to vindicate nor vilify former President Koroma for the charges against him following the November 26th, 2023, failed coup intended to unseat the sitting Government of President Julius Maada Bio aggressively.
However, the Courier is obliged to run this social commentary that Former President Koroma had an opportunity to rest in perfect peace in his retirement, which now seems to be in jeopardy. His insatiable quest for power and materialism made him be on the swing whether to face a possible jail term for his alleged involvement in the November 26th failed Coup if proven guilty or sardonically flee his country of birth on exile to Nigeria as fallaciously requested by the ECOWAS Commission. What a sorrowful way the former Commander-In-Chief of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces, the fountain of honor, a man who used to enjoy his Supreme Executive Powers, traded his statesmanship glamours to an ordinary citizen willing to be banished from the country he ruled for good eleven years, or about to face imprisonment if proven guilty for crimes he stands accused of.
The Courier could still recall the realm of late President Ahmed Tejah Kabba in his blessed memory. The first term of late President Tejah Kabba was filled with political topsy-turvy and security instability. In late President Kabba's first term of office, just after the 1996 elections, he was overthrown by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) led by Major Johnny Paul Koroma in 1997-1998. Fast-forward, late President Kabba was reinstated until the January 6th of 1999 rebel hit Freetown. An election was conducted in 2002, which enhanced the re-election of late President Kabba with a resounding victory.
From 2002 on to 2007, which marked the constitutional end of late wartime, President Kabba's two terms in office were like safe sailing but not rosy as he was still grappling with the socio-economic and political effects of the war. Late President Kabba used his last five years to build the nation's fragile peace and democracy. The Late wartime President Kabba left office with satiation in his retirement until his inevitable journey to his Maker (Allah/God) in 2014.
Folks might want to ask why all this holistic mind reflection is in the war zone presidential realm of the late wartime President Kabba. The Courier just wanted to draw an unparalleled analogy even though the late wartime President Kabba’s regime was like a conflagration of war and instability; he honorably resigned as a formal stateman. Late President Kabba completely disassociated himself from party politics. He never requested an additional term of Office. Late President Kabba was an emblem of peace and an iconic icon of democracy. Even within his political party (SLPP), the majority described wartime President Kabba as a non-politician, a career diplomat, an educationist, and a father of democracy who did everything in the state’s interest rather than his political party. Another school of thought described Ex-President Koroma as a businessman, a politician, an issuance broker, and less educated. They say this is why it is tough for Ex-President Koroma to part ways with politics because his survival depends on the dividend of his political activities. The key message in former President Koroma's two terms of office was to run the state as a business. The idiomatic meaning of that phrase only God and Ex-President Koroma know.
Unlike the late wartime President Kabba, the power-ambitious Koroma has been an example of the economic definition that says human wants are insatiable. This is the President, who had served for two terms with a flourishing avalanche of donor support. But still wanted a third term and fourth term of office had it not been for public outcry against his intended unconstitutional alteration. The power-conscious Koroma might now be in his remorseful state, either to be banished as proposed by the ECOWAS Commission or face punitive actions for the crime he stands accused of if proven guilty by the court.
Following an investigation on the November 26th failed coup, the Magistrate Court No.2, Presided over by Magistrate Santigie Bangura, on the 3rd of January 2024, charged former President Ernest Bai Koroma with Treason. Former President Koroma is currently facing four counts of charges, including Treason and misprision of treason, and two counts of harboring bordering on his alleged involvement in the November 26th failed coup with the premeditated intention to overthrow a sitting President, Julius Maada Bio. The November 26th failed coup claimed the lives of over eighteen security officers who were out to protect life and properties.
A couple of weeks ago, the Court of Appeal also ordered former President Ernest Bai Koroma to jointly and severally within thirty days pay over twenty-five (25) million dollars, state money he illegally authorized in loan during his Presidency. The former President had, on 13th October 2020, filed a seven-ground appeal against the adverse findings made against him by the Justice Biobele George-Will Commissions of Inquiry relating to the over 70 billion Leones approved in 2017 as terminal benefits to staff of Petroleum Directorate, 3 million dollars loan to SMRT Limited through the Ministry of Finance for the procurement of biometric machines not refunded over 12 million dollars as loan to Rokel Commercial Bank not refunded and 14 million dollars loan to the Commission for Privatization.
On the day when the power-conscious Koroma was charged to court for alleged treason, the ECOWAS Commission wrote a very misleading letter to President Bio requesting that former President Koroma be sent into exile to Nigeria. The Commission also made an unrealistic request that the Government of Sierra Leone should discontinue all legal and administrative cases against former President Koroma, his Office Manager, and Personal Assistance accompany him to Nigeria, Government of Sierra Leone, to continue to disburse his retirement benefits as a former president, and government to consider refunding medical and travel expenses he has incurred.
This ECOWAS request is a total madness and an affront to a sovereign state like Sierra Leone. So, ECOWAS did not advocate for justice for those family members who were murdered in cold blood on the 26th of November, 2023, during the failed coup. This same person the ECOWAS Commission is playing the devil’s advocate for was the same person when he was president, rubbished the ECOWAS ruling for unconstitutionally sacking his vice president, Chief Sam Sumana.
In 2017, the ECOWAS Court ruled that the removal of former Vice President Alhaji Sam Sumana from office by former President Koroma in 2015 was wrongful and violated the fundamental human rights of Chief Sam Sumana. The ECOWAS Court ordered former President Koroma’s Government to pay $210 million in damage to the former, disgracefully and unconstitutionally sacked Vice President and to reinstate Chief Sam Sumana as Vice President. The then Koroma Administration responded that the ECOWAS Court lacked competence and jurisdiction and would not accept the ECOWAS ruling.
And here we are again with the same ECOWAS playing the devil’s advocate for someone who disrespected the ECOWAS ruling in 2017 and bastardized the country’s constitution by unconstitutionally removing a sitting Vice President. Unlike the Sam Sumana-Koroma matter taken to the ECOWAS, the January 3rd madcap and whacky request from ECOWAS appealing for former President Koroma to be banished and sent on temporary exile was indeed a misplaced, baseless, and unfounded request.
It is high time we jumped across this long-nursed mysticism that former leaders should not be brought to book for their stewardship. This must stop, and we must inculcate the spirit of holding our leaders, past or present, accountable for their leadership. It is very preposterous hearing this appeal to pity that former President Koroma should not be subjected to leadership of accountability. This syndrome of no accountability from our leaders, present or past, will continue to degenerate the country’s progress and set a horrendous precedent that any leader can do anything unchecked and go free.
Progressive Countries, especially in Africa, have started to hold their past leaders accountable for their stewardship. A court in Mauritania jailed former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz for five years for corruption.
President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was found guilty of money laundering and abusing his position to enrich himself illegally.
South Africa's former President, Jacob Zuma, was also jailed for 15 months for just contempt of court. Zuma was sentenced on 29 June for defying an instruction to give evidence at an inquiry into corruption during his nine years in power. He has testified only once at the inquiry into what has become known as "state capture" - meaning the siphoning of state assets.
What is so special about former President Koroma that ECOWAS plays such devil’s advocate for not being subjected to the rule of law? This is the man who stands accused of his involvement in the November 26th failed coup, which claimed the lives of dozens of citizens. Not too long ago, former President Koroma lost his corruption case at the Appeal Court of Sierra Leone. The Appeal Court ordered former President Koroma to refund $25 million to the state monies perceived to be obtained by corruptive means and abuse of office. Thus, this will be another gross betrayal of the people’s trust if President Bio accepts that misleading request from ECOWAS to send former President Koroma into exile and to drop all legal cases against him. The people of Sierra Leone await the end of the era of Ex-President Koroma.
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