By Foday Moriba Conteh
Former Deputy Minister of Sports during the tenure of Ernest Bai Koroma APC led Government, Al-Sankoh-Conteh, has refuted the present SLPP White Paper on the Commission of Inquiry (COI) Report.
He intimated that he has been unjustly labeled in the COI Report and White Paper underscoring that was wrongly indicted of mismanagement. Al-sankoh-Conteh asserted that he is a proud man and has never got himself involved in any form of corruption.
He said Chapter 11 of the White Paper made mention of the late Dr. Minkailu Bah and Al-Sankoh-Conteh as individuals who were involved in misappropriation in the Ministry of Sports and recommended for them to pay billion of Leones.
The former Deputy Minister of Sports strongly denied any involvement in corruption or abuse of office, during his tenure and noted that he did not work in that capacity under Dr. Minkailu Bah and therefore is not aware of all those allegations highlighted in the White Paper.
He noted that during the COI investigation he was battling with an eye infection and has never received any invitation from the COI, either by letter, newspaper or phone call.
Al-Sankoh-Conteh, therefore maintains that he was not given the opportunity to have employed the service of a lawyer to do a rebuttal on those allegations.
He said he has expressed his willingness, after consulting with his family, to file an appeal on the recommendations made against him. Al-Sankoh-Conteh furthered that it is public knowledge that he has maintained high integrity to live a decent and average life with his family during his tenure as a Minister of Government. “I put my trust in Allah as I shall be exonerated from all indictment made against me in the White Paper,” he expressed optimism.
While he was Deputy Minister of Sports some of his responsibilities in include staff welfare and promoting local sports.
It will be recalled that the Commissions of Inquiry Report was handed over to President Bio during a Press Conference at State House on the 24th September, 2020. The Report and White Paper were made public on the same day. The White Paper, in particular, contains indictments and recommendations against former officials of the erstwhile APC Government including Ex-President Ernest Bai Koroma, former Ministers and Deputy Ministers as well as other public officials.
They were seriously indicted on various charges of graft and as part of the recommendations in the White Paper they are supposed to pay back monies that they purportedly stole within a stipulated timeframe or otherwise their movable as well as unmovable assets or properties will be confiscated, put up for sale in order to recover the said stolen public funds.
