By Amin Kef Sesay
Altilda Conteh, the daughter of Alfred Palo Conteh, both British/American citizens has raised concern over the arrest and detention of her father. She stated that on Friday, 20 March 2020, her father was detained by the Sierra Leone Government without any valid reason.
According to her, Alfred Palo Conteh was questioned by security personnel of the Criminal Investigation Department at State House on Thursday 19th (the day the alleged incident occurred), and told to go home.
She added that her father was invited for further questioning on Friday 20th March 2020 but was detained and in less than 48 hours later he was transferred to the Pademba Road Correctional Service, which she said is one of Sierra Leone’s most notorious and dangerous prisons. Altilda Conteh stated that there were no charges of a crime, but he was accused of “wanting to assassinate the current President of Sierra Leone,”which she underscored is a baseless accusation.
In a very sentimental mood she highlighted how her father has served Sierra Leone faithfully and is a member of the main opposition APC party. She pointed out that he was in the Sierra Leone Army from 1976 until 1992, during which he was Officer Commanding the Military Police and attained the rank of a Major.
“He later served as the Minister of Defense for Sierra Leone in 2007, when the previous President Ernest B Koroma was Head of State. He later went on to be the Ebola Czar in 2014 when the epidemic hit our beautiful land of Sierra Leone during 2014-2016. Later, he was appointed as the Minister of Internal Affairs, by the President, in 2016, until the elections in spring of 2017,” she narrated.
She maintained the position that her father’s arrest is highly political. Altilda says this is the second time within fifteen months that the current Government has arrested and detained her father adding how this is the first time he has been taken to prison.
“Both times he was arrested without being charged, but only to be harassed, degraded, embarrassed, and inconvenienced in an attempt to intimidate him. My father has sacrificed to serve the country he loves, for ten consecutive years and does not deserve such continuous harassment,” she vented anger.
She revealed that on Monday, 16th March 2020, which was the date of the first meeting, due to his expertise and execution of duties whilst he was the Ebola Czar, her father was asked by President Bio to join them in their fight against the current Coronavirus (CONVID-19) pandemic. She said without hesitation, her father unwaveringly pledged his support for the good of the country, ensuring thousands of lives would again be saved during these tough times.
“Even though this political administration has been on a witch hunt to defame and assassinate his character her father freely volunteered to work with them to instill some sense of harmony and possible cross-party relationship,” she continued adding how on Tuesday, 17th March 2020, her father, the current Minister of Health, and other SLPP party members went to Lungi Airport.
She narrated that later that same week on Thursday 19th (second meeting) her father went to the State House to meet President Bio and further discuss matters.
“Upon arrival, he specifically told security personnel he had a loaded gun in his bag with all the adequate licenses. Even though my father asked the security men to hold his bag, because he is aware of the State House protocols, they refused to take his bag with the pistol in it. He was told it was fine for him to keep his bag,” she narrated.
She emphatically stated that her dad refused to take his bag into the meeting with the President and left his gun and bag at the security entrance.
Altilda said after waiting 45 minutes the head of the security went to the waiting room and asked for the owner of the bag to which her father replied that it belongs to him. She said he was questioned by CID personnel that exact day (Thursday 19th of March) and he went home and slept, ate…
From her account, on Friday 20th March 2020, the following day her father was invited to CID for more questioning and upon arrival he was arrested but was NOT told why he was being detained. According to her he has still NOT been released!
Altilda strongly registered that this is a violation of the Laws of Sierra Leone as stated in the Information Pack for British Prisoners in Sierra Leone. “This is yet another ploy to dehumanize an opposing political party member that has been imprisoned for nearly two weeks without any charges,” she lamented.
Based on what she said on 30th March 2020 the Sierra Leone Government charged her father for treason on a total of 15 counts. “Many of the charges are contradictory. My father is currently in solitary confinement and being denied access to clothing, books, proper food, all basic necessities and denied family visitation,” she further bemoaned.
“I am writing this petition because I’m concerned about the safety of my father’s life and I would like you to please do all legally possible to have my father released. I love my father. This man has saved thousands of lives in Sierra Leone, defended many that had no voice whilst practicing law in the UK, improved the quality of life and life expectancy of those he has served. My father is my super hero and a hero to many. He is also my first love, pillar of my family and the community,” she disclosed her feelings.
According to her, Alfred Palo Conteh is an asset to not just our society but to the world saying he is a well-educated man that would never jeopardize his legacy, future endeavors and all he has worked hard to obtain as well as to hurt or harm anyone.
“He also has an eight year old son who is an American citizen, who resides in Sierra Leone with my father’s wife, and I am unsure how safe they are. Please help me and my family to ensure his release and safe return to his family,” she ended up appealing.
I sympathize with you personally Ms Conteh. I can understand daughter-father relationship. But please despite your natural infinity with your father, don’t be misled by false propaganda. There is one–and only one–question every little child in Sierra Leone is asking about your father’s arrest. If you could give an honest and God-fearing answer to that question, you probably would understand why your father has been arrested and charged with Treason. If your father were President in Sierra Leone and invited citizen Mazda Bio to a friendly meeting to discuss national issues, and Bio goes to the meeting with a loaded gun in his bag without as much as declaring it, how would you consider such an armed action? BTW, contrary to the angelic portrait you are peddling about your father, just listen to a WhatsApp audio message making the rounds on social media containing a catalogue of terrible activities your father reportedly carried out against the country and the Sierra Leone army when he served as Defense Minister. The author of the audio is a retired Army sergeant who is a Temne by tribe and hails from the same Nothern province as your father. And he is a member of the APC party. So please wait to hear what will come out of the trial before rushing to untenable conclusions. You may be surprised to hear about his collaborators in what some experts in criminology consider as an assassination plot gone wrong.
Madam, are you fooling yourself or the nation? Any sober minded person may think that you are foolong yourself. Any way one may blame the current government for investing your father to share with them his Ebola experience. This for sure many believes that he did nothing much to save lives but instead, he rubbed the country money to advance his personal and family lives. Not only your father is going to pay for all his wicked deeds, but also his family and co will surely going to be punished.
Taking a gun to see the president upon invitation is a recipe for disaster not a strategic mistake. The law will exonerate or convict him based on the outcome of the trial. We all want justice not a witch hunt.