VZCZCXRO9048
RR RUEHPA
DE RUEHFN #0435/01 3081720
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 041720Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY FREETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2970
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 FREETOWN 000435 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W (JHUNTER) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2019 
TAGS: PGOV KCOR SL
SUBJECT: MINISTER OF HEALTH INDICTED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES; 
ANOTHER HEAD ROLLS 
 
REF: FREETOWN 425 
 
Classified By: Political/Economic Officer Amy LeMar for reasons 1.4 (b/ 
d) 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: President Koroma removed the Minister of 
Health and Sanitation and the Minister of State in the Vice 
President's Office from their duties on November 4 due to 
allegations of corruption. Minister of Health, Sheiku Tejan 
Koroma, was indicted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) 
for corruption related to procurement practices, while 
Minister of State Leonard Balogun Koroma has always had a 
cloud of suspicion around him. The President's actions came 
as a surprise to nearly all Sierra Leone politicos, and some 
suspect that they were deliberately timed to impress donors 
in advance of the Consultative Group meeting later this 
month. End Summary. 
 
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MINISTER OF HEALTH FACES THE COURT 
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¶2. (U) On November 4, Minister of Health and Sanitation 
Sheiku Tejan Koroma was formally indicted by the 
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The three-charge indictment 
included abuse of office, abuse of position, and willfully 
failing to comply with the laws, procedures, and guidelines 
relating to the procurement of property, tendering of 
contracts, and management of funds. The ACC alleges that the 
Minister awarded a contract for the supply of medical 
consumables and reagents in a manner that contravened the 
Public Procurement Act of 2004. Minister Koroma was relieved 
of his duties by the President for the duration of his trial, 
which has been adjourned until December 2. In a surprise 
move, the President appointed Vice President Samsumana to 
oversee the ministry in Minister Koroma's absence. 
 
¶3. (C) Sources told Political Section that Koroma's 
indictment appears deliberately timed to make a good 
impression on donors before the Consultative Group meeting. 
According to several contacts, the ACC presented the 
indictment to the Attorney General (AG), who buried it for 
two months before it was moved forward in the court. If this 
is true, this is in direct contravention of the 2008 ACC 
amendment, which grants the ACC prosecutorial independence 
from the Attorney General/Minister of Justice. A few whispers 
have also suggested that the AG and others intended to 
eliminate the case outright. 
 
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MINISTER OF STATE GIVEN SURPRISE AX 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Minister of State in the Vice President's Office, 
Leonard Balogun Koroma, was permanently removed from his 
position on November 4. The Minister of State acts as the 
Vice President's Chief of Staff, and manages the office's 
day-to-day affairs. While no one expected Koroma's ousting, 
it has clearly been in the works for some time; the President 
has already announced that Dr. Komba Kono will replace him. 
Koroma was largely unpopular, and received the appointment 
because of his personal relationship with the Vice President 
in Kono and the United States. Anyone in Samsumana's orbit, 
whether earned or not, is shadowed with his reputation for 
corruption and criminality (reftel), and Koroma has been 
rumored to accept bribes and "assist" business contacts. It 
is possible that he is serving as a scapegoat for Samsumana's 
recent bad press, but equally possible that he simply wasn't 
effectively handling his duties. 
 
¶5. (U) Post has little information about Koroma's 
replacement, Komba Kono. Like the VP and Leonard Balogun 
Koroma, he is from Kono District, and is a career medical 
practitioner. Post will report further details septel. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶6. (C) The Minister of Health's indictment and removal leads 
to a number of critical questions: did the President, 
Attorney General, and others collude to delay the indictment 
to maximize its political impact? Why was the AG given any 
authority whatsoever over the independent ACC's case? Why was 
the Vice President named to oversee the ministry, rather than 
the deputy minister? Post deems it possible that the ACC was 
told to share the case with the AG due to its politically 
sensitive nature, and that the President, AG, and others 
deliberately timed the indictment to coincide with the 
build-up to the Consultative Group. Donors, particularly the 
 
FREETOWN 00000435  002 OF 002 
 
 
British, have shown a keen interest in anti-corruption 
activities, and this case represents the first time that a 
public official has been charged with the abuse of office and 
position offenses. The Vice President's new role as de facto 
Minister of Health is likely a demonstration of the 
President's faith in him, despite the reftel scandal that is 
now in the public domain since the publication of the third 
party complaint in the SLPP newspaper last week. In similar 
situations, such as Ibrahim Kemoh Sesay's fall as Minister of 
Transportation and Aviation due to his connection to the July 
2008 cocaine bust, the deputy minister was named as the 
acting minister: that Samsumana has been charged with 
overseeing the ministry shows that the APC party is backing 
him to help him politically survive the lawsuit. It also 
indicates that the APC will likely block an ACC investigation 
into the alleged corrupt acts that led to the lawsuit in the 
first place. Minister Balogun Koroma's removal could be seen 
as a means of cleaning house in the Vice President's Office, 
though most would argue that the real problem in the office 
is Samsumana himself. End Comment. 
FEDZER