Former top officials in Sierra Leone charged with graft

FREETOWN, (Reuters) - Two former top officials in Sierra Leone were arrested yesterday as part of a crackdown on graft by new President Julius Maada Bio’s government.

Anti-Corruption Commission head Francis Ben Kaifala said Victor Foh, ex-President Ernest Koroma’s vice president, has been charged with various counts of public fund mismanagement, including the embezzlement of money meant to help poor Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca. Mansaray Minkailu, the mines minister under Koroma, has been charged for his role in the sale of a stake in a mining project to Koroma’s nephew for an artificially low price, Kaifala told Reuters.

“The fight against corruption is just that - a fight. And if you resist us we will take you to war,” he told a news conference. “If you try to hide from the law, you cannot be surprised when we come for you.”

Lawyers for Foh and Mansaray did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Both men were to be released on bail later on Thursday, Kaifala said.

A separate commission appointed by Bio alleged on Wednesday that corruption was rampant under Koroma, including the theft of state property and the funnelling of contracts to officials’ relatives and friends.

Koroma, who was president from 2007 until this April, denied the allegations in the report saying it was a malicious attempt to smear his image.