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       Sierra Leone Orders Criminal Probe Into Foreign Waste Allegations

   by James Butty

   The Sierra Leone government has distanced itself from a letter
   supposedly written by a senior adviser to President Ernest Bai Koroma
   granting permission to the Dutch Chamber of Commerce for the
   "importation of baled and non-hazardous Municipal waste" into Sierra
   Leone as long as the materials are not toxic in nature.

   The government said in a statement it did not authorize any official of
   government to approve such a deal. The government said it understands
   the health and environmental risks of toxic wastes and will never
   expose the public to such long-term risks. The letter was signed by
   Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, senior special adviser to President Koroma.

   Kargbo told VOA his letter to the Dutch Chamber of Commerce made clear
   that the waste materials should be for the development of fertilizer
   for agriculture purposes and should not be toxic.

   "I gave that advisory letter to the agent of a Dutch farm in Lebanon
   who said he wanted to come here and set up a plant to manufacture
   fertilizer. I did inform him in that letter that if he wanted to go
   through the process of investing in this country he should be very
   certain that, even if it is utilizing domestic waste, it should be
   toxic-free," he said.

   Koroma said he also advised the person to whom the letter had been sent
   that anything that might expose the public to long-term health and
   environment risk should be treated as paramount because the government
   did not want to be dragged into the embarrassment of toxic waste.

   "We also did say in the letter that no decision will be cleared if it
   did not have the approval of the Republic of Sierra Leone," Koroma
   said.

   A government statement Monday said President Koroma "has instructed the
   office of national security and the police to conduct criminal
   investigations into the circumstances surrounding this matter."

   On Monday, special adviser Kargbo was called to the Criminal
   Investigations Department (CID) for questioning about the transfer of
   foreign waste to Sierra Leone.

   "The simple thing is that they wanted to know where that letter came
   from. And I did say yes it came from my office. But of course they
   could see not much damage in it or any illegal element in it. So I was
   released. But the important thing is whatever I did in good faith to
   protect the country from any difficulty that has to do with toxic
   waste," Kargbo said.

   He said he did nothing illegal and that he encouraged the Dutch because
   they wanted to build a fertilizer plant in a country where there is no
   fertilizer.

   Kargbo said President Koroma was not in the initial stages of the
   arrangement although he would have eventually been brought in on the
   arrangement.

   "Of course we had agreed with the investors that they should start the
   process by meeting first and foremost the people who are in charge of
   these areas. But also importantly we wanted to make it very clear that
   the president came in only at a time when it was very clear as to what
   these fellows wanted to do. Yes, normally the president comes in, but
   you don't bring the president in at the beginning," Kargbo said.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/sierra-leone-orders-criminal-probe-in
   to-foreign-waste-allegations/3141217.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/sierra-leone-orders-criminal-probe-into-foreign-waste-allegations/3141217.html