Sierra Leone’s first lady, Fatima Bio, has said in a public statement that she owes “no explanation” to the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) investigation that allegedly exposed her luxury property portfolio in The Gambia.
OCCRP, a global network of investigative journalists, published a report in which they claimed that Mrs Bio, who has Gambian roots, her mother, and two half-brothers had acquired a string of high-end real estate along the coast in The Gambia. The purchases took place after the first lady’s husband, Julius Maada Bio, became president in April 2018.
Sale records and other documents obtained by OCCRP reporters showed the properties included villas, beachfront apartments, and a four-storey apartment building, plus the development of a 70-bedroom hotel. All together, the relatives spent just over US$2.1 million on at least 10 real estate transactions.
Shortly after the investigation was published, Fatima Bio denounced it on her official Facebook page as “taking pictures of houses and claiming the ownership without documentation.”
“No amount of blackmail will shut me up,” she added.
In an hour-long video published on her Facebook page on 16 May, Mrs Bio accuse OCCRP of giving her only 24 hours to respond to queries.
The first lady also drew a link in her video between OCCRP’s investigation and her dispute with Koidu Limited, a company operating Sierra Leone’s largest diamond mine.
After Bio joined a protest in March by workers at the company calling for better working conditions, Octea Limited, Koidu Limited’s owner, issued a legal notice in May alleging that her “unlawful, defamatory, and malicious statements and actions” had disrupted its mining operations. The company’s owner demanded US$20 million in compensation from her.
In her Facebook video, Bio said the OCCRP journalist reporting the story was “sent” by Koidu Limited to investigate her.
“I refused to answer him because I had absolutely nothing to tell him and I owe him no explanation,” she said.
OCCRP strenuously denied the claim stating it had in fact published a report on Koidu Limited’s abuse of its workers and that it had given Mrs Bio nine days to respond to its queries before publication.
In a statement referencing the investigation, Sierra Leone’s main opposition party, the All People’s Congress, said the country “continues to face international embarrassment under the Bio-led administration.”
