SMOOTH CRIMINAL? PARTY "ENEMY" OF THE PRESIDENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L FREETOWN 000255

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W (JHUNTER)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR SL
SUBJECT: SMOOTH CRIMINAL? PARTY "ENEMY" OF THE PRESIDENT
EMBROILED IN SCANDAL

REF: FREETOWN 79

Classified By: Political Officer Amy LeMar for Reasons 1.4 (b/d)


1. (C) Summary: The Minister of Lands, Housing, Country
Planning and the Environment, Dr. Dennis Sandy, testified
before Parliament on June 5 that his ministry is the most
corrupt and that Members of Parliament are involved in shady
land deals. He tendered documents implicating the Majority
Leader of Parliament, Hon. Eddie Turay, and Hon. Dauda
Dumbuya. Turay and Dumbuya are both members of the APC, and
Sandy's allegations created a furor in the House of
Parliament and in the press. Some have suggested that Sandy's
party, the PMDC, is taking a deliberate swipe at Turay, who
was vocal in questioning the validity of Sandy's initial
claims. Others, however, believe that Turay is a target
because of his adversarial relationship with President
Koroma. Given that numerous MPs are allegedly involved in
illegal land deals, singling out one of Koroma's nemeses
potentially indicates an internal APC power-play designed to
either discredit Turay or end his political ambitions
altogether. This could effectively destroy the cabal of APC
members, including the Attorney-General, who surreptitiously
seek Koroma's downfall. End Summary.


2. (U) PMDC party member Dr. Dennis Sandy became the Minister
of Lands, Housing, Country Planning and the Environment, in
the recent Cabinet reshuffle. He succeeded Capt. Benjamin O.
Davies, another PMDC member, who was sacked by President
Koroma. In his testimony before Parliament on June 5, Sandy
said that his ministry is the most corrupt and that some
Members of Parliament were involved in illegal land deals.
This infuriated MPs, who told him not to make "sweeping
statements" and cautioned him to substantiate his allegations
with documentary proof. Turay was the most vociferous in
demanding that Sandy substantiate his claims. The Speaker of
Parliament, Justice Abel Stronge, upheld this request and
summoned the Minister to return to Parliament with proof. On
June 9, Minister Sandy appeared again to present documents
alleging that Turay and Dumbuya illegally possess
approximately 60 and 84 acres of land respectively (Note:
Post is waiting for information from contacts on the
robustness of this "evidence." End Note). According to the
laws of Sierra Leone no individual can acquire more than
three town lots of land.


3. (U) Per his constitutional right, Stronge appointed an
eleven-man committee to look into the allegations made by the
Minister of Lands on June 23. The Committee has been mandated
to investigate, examine, evaluate, and report on the specific
allegations presented by Sandy regarding Turay and Dumbuya,
and will report back to the House on July 9. The committee is
comprised of four APC MPs, three MPs from the SLPP, two from
the PMDC, and two Paramount Chiefs who are non-partisan
Members of Parliament.


4. (C) Turay has been vocal in blaming members of his own APC
party and some members of the PMDC of plotting to discredit
him. As the party leader and Presidential candidate in 1996,
he remains a powerful figure within the APC. There are talks
that he is still nursing an ambition to become President,
though he was passed over for Koroma in 2007. His noted
bitterness about Koroma's ascendency led to a court case
involving several "old school" members of the APC, who
claimed that Koroma's leadership violated the party's
constitution. The law suit was quietly settled out of court,
with Turay becoming the Majority Leader and Abdul Serry-Kamal
receiving the Minister of Justice/Attorney-General position
following Koroma's Presidential victory. Turay's theory on
this situation appears to be that he is being deliberately
targeted by Minister Sandy at the behest of the President or
his internal APC supporters. He has so far ignored the fact
that he loudly and vehemently demanded proof of the
Minister's initial, general allegations, thus making himself
an attractive target.


5. (C) The PMDC party, though historically weak and seemingly
on a continuous downhill slide, are showing surprising
mettle. Party leader Charles Margai, still a popular
political figure throughout the country, is standing firmly
behind Sandy. Margai attended Sandy's sessions and publicly
congratulated him outside Parliament. He also said in a radio
interview that he does not give instructions to the Minister,
but has a "moral responsibility to protect (a member of his
party)." It is possible that Margai simply wants to prove
that Ministers from his party are effective (Note: The PMDC
lost two Cabinet seats in the reshuffle, per reftel. End
Note),but could also be currying favor with the President by
deliberately targeting Turay. Public opinion demonstrates
that Koroma's popularity has not waned since his election,

and many consider him a lock to win another 5 year term in

2012. Margai may be positioning himself and his party for
further responsibilities in the future. If the evidence
against Turay is inconclusive, however, Minister Sandy will
have a difficult time holding on to his position.


6. (C) Comment: Eddie Turay considers himself and his few
remaining allies, like the AG, to be "true" APC members. They
stayed with the party through its pariah years, and truly
believe that it is their turn to run both the party and the
country. Koroma, considered an up-start for only joining the
party after flirting with others, has been constantly under
fire from Turay and the AG since he took office. Though
neither would overtly threaten the presidency, both have
acted behind the scenes to undermine Koroma's authority and
political momentum. The AG, in particular, has deliberately
used his position to jeopardize major bilateral activities
and potential Koroma-credited successes. Should Turay be
found guilty by the Parliamentary Committee of illegal land
holding, he will face criminal charges and lose his
parliamentary seat. The damage to his political reputation
would doubtless end his career and leave only the AG to
represent the APC stalwarts who refuse to evolve with their
party. Turay's downfall could dissipate the internal APC
power struggle and leave Koroma and his supporters the chance
to address the true task at hand: governing. End Comment.
FEDZER