he Convicted Felon And The Government Of Sierra Leone A Failed Smear Campaign

Social media and some international news channels are awash with information insinuating that a convict of drugs in The Netherlands is enjoying the protection of the government of Sierra Leone especially the first gentleman His Excellency The President Julius Maada Bio. Some reports have even gone to the erroneous extent of saying the felon Jos Leijdekker is in league with the first family.

The insinuations are as wrong as they can be and a deliberately aimed at smearing the reputation of not only the government of Sierra Leone but also the presidency. It is imperative that we understand a few things about drug business, its transnational nature and the quantum of money involved in it, before trying in vain to drag the good name of Sierra Leone’s best President ever.

The drug business is a big business often coordinated by people who are well-resourced and connected. Because of the money involved in drugs business, and given our low ability to buy them, Sierra Leone cannot be a drug haven – not even in someone’s wildest imagination should you go that way.

Drug convicts in some of the most advanced societies have evaded judgment and or punishment even in societies deemed sophisticated. The United States of America and some European countries have struggled to lay hands on the masters of the drug cartels in Mexico, Columbia, Spain and other countries, and it’s not for a lack of try. For a developing country like Sierra Leone to be tainted with drug smuggling is just unwarranted and callous.

Drug convicts escaping the net of justice in Europe and America is nothing new. Their concealing in some smaller countries and continuing their dastardly operations using other aliases is also nothing new.

What is important in the case of Jos Leijdekker is the insinuations by some social media mischief makers that he is in Sierra Leone cocooned by the highest office and enjoying their protection. This is malicious and deliberate. Even though the government of Sierra Leone has not been officially asked by the government of The Netherlands to arrest and hand over the convict, the government has swung into action by starting an investigation into the matter. The pictures and videos making the rounds on social media of Jos are inconclusive and no serious investigator can pivot arrest on that.

However, given the seriousness of the issue – drugs – and the futile attempt to bring a focused President Bio into the fray, the government has initiated a thorough investigation into it. The investigations hover around 1. Knowing the exact identity of the said Jos as being the one hanging around the President 2. Establishing whether he is the real convict and 3. Determining the next line of action, if proven to be the convict. In all of this, the government has expressed willingness to cooperate with the government of The Netherlands and other entities such as Interpol, TOCU, etc.

This alone is a show of the willingness of the government of Sierra Leone to get to the bottom of the matter. For now, the true identity of Jos Leijdekker ensconced in Sierra Leone is murky but investigations are ongoing.

Government should be commended for initiating investigations on such a sensitive matter even when not officially contacted by the Dutch government.