By Amin Kef Sesay
This writer could vividly recall the significant statement made by a seasoned Social Commentator, in the wake of the repeal of Part V of the 1965 Public Order Act that used to criminalize Libel, that the repeal should not be seen, particularly so on the part of media practitioners, as a license to blackmail well-meaning and innocent members in society.
As if the Social Commentator foresaw the worse in terms of the proliferation in the publication of baseless and unfounded stories against targeted individuals, of late certain sections of the media in the country have become so enmeshed in assassinating the characters of individuals and damaging the good image of certain institutions out of hidden agendas. Very unfortunate!
This news medium, with its Motto: “Building a Better Sierra Leone”, stands for anything that is in favour of developing Mama Salone for the benefit of the vast majority and not the selfish minority.
It is against such a backdrop that this medium became interested in stories making the headlines that Alhaji Musa Tarawally, while he was Minister of Lands in the erstwhile APC Government, was involved in various dubious land deals from which the State benefitted insignificantly were as he and others lined up their pockets with colossal sums of money.
The author of the stories alleged that, “a 13-acre State land- which housed Solar Hotel at Aberdeen, was allegedly sold in 2013 to Hisham Mackie for a mere $ 10,000 according to Ministry’s records”.
He also mentioned lands at Aberdeen Bridge at Makainteh in Waterloo, at Clay Factory, Kissy Dock Yard.
Indeed the allegations are alarming! This prompted this medium to go into action in order to conduct an independent investigation to know the veracity of those allegations.
What were unearthed from our investigation are indeed quite contrary from the aforementioned allegations. In the first place, all those land transactions were legally and genuinely done with the right procedures followed.
As a matter of fact the quotations given as monies paid for such lands are indeed fictitious and misconstrued as against the facts that one of the said lands was initially leased to a group of foreign and local shareholders of Solar Hotel Company by previous Governments, before the APC Government came to power, for 99 years, renewable for another 99 years at a seven thousand Leones (Le: 7,000)yearly rent basis which in any way cannot generate Four Million Leones (Le 4,000,000) revenue for the period of 99 years.
From what was learnt the shareholders decided to sell to a Sierra Leonean and the Ministry of Lands, Country Planning and the Environment under the tenue of Hon. Musa Tarawally negotiated over One hundred thousand US dollars ($100,000), equivalent to Five Hundred Million Leones (Le500,000,000) for Government which is far more than what the Government would have benefited from the 99 years lease plus another 99 years renewal.
Ex-President Koroma after dismissing Hon. Musa Tarawally for political reasons, set up a Committee to investigate all transactions during his tenure which was concluded with no wrong doing found against him and the then Director of Surveys and Land.
Based on the findings of this medium erstwhile Minister of Lands, Dr Denis Sandy also investigated the aforementioned transaction and cleared it as a legitimate and good transaction that benefited the Government of Sierra Leone significantly.
This medium, while conducting its investigation, discovered that there is a constitutional provision that the Minister may make grants, lease and sell State Lands in such manner and subject to such conditions as may be required and as he may deem proper.
However, there are internal systems within the Ministry of Lands whereby all leases, grants and sales of State land are processed technically by the Director of Lands and Surveys, send them to the AG’s office for legal advice and preparation of conveyance before such sales are signed which means that Ministers perform such sales on technical and legal advice and all monies paid for land leases are paid directly to the National Revenue Authority (NRA) officials stationed in the Ministry.
Therefore, in no way can the Minister of Lands circumvent that system for any personal aggrandizement otherwise he or she risks falling into the net of the Anti-Corruption Commission.
From what again was understood, because of his no nonsense posture while serving as Lands Minister, from 2013 to 2015, failing to yield to unsavoury advances by some powerful individuals in the APC Party and Government who saw him as a threat and wanted to acquire pieces of land through the back door, Musa Tarawally was framed up and accused of shady land deals in December 2015.
This forced former President Ernest Bai Koroma to relieve him of his position with immediate effect and a Committee was set up to look into all land transactions during his tenure. However, what came out from the Committee’s finding was a no case submission totally exonerating him of all allegations.
Again, when the Report of the Justice Biobele Commission of Inquiry (COI) and those accepted by the Government as contained in the White Paper came out it was recommended that Musa Tarawally refund the sum of Le235, 000,000 (Two Hundred and Thirty-Five Million Leones), alongside Barba Fortune who wasn’t the Permanent Secretary during his tenure as Lands Minister. The recommended refund of the said amount was borne out of the same allegations of involvement in shady land deals.
However, he appealed the recommendation and out of the independence of the Judiciary and lack of evidence, Hon. Musa Tarawally won his appeal case and the Court of appeal exonerated him with a ruling for Government to repay all monies spent by him. Meaning, there were no evidences that could prove beyond all reasonable doubts that Musa Tarawally is or was guilty of the aforementioned allegations.
But what is somehow incomprehensible is the fact that all these issues now raised in the Press against Musa Tarawally were long investigated and clarified.
Even a kindergarten kid could simply tell you that the aim of the publications does not lie in exposing corruption but rather a well calculated ploy to smear the good image of an individual who commands high respect in and out of the country.
Does this way of practicing journalism is in tandem with the seasoned Social Commentator apprehension that repealing the criminal libellous Act could be a license to blackmail? It somehow seems so but it should be kept in mind that the Law is there and it is supreme for which there is provision to seek redress.
