CORRUPT MINISTRY OF DEFENSE ARMS DEAL THREATENS SL

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 FREETOWN 000266 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W (JHUNTER) E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/08/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL MASS PINS PINR SL SUBJECT: CORRUPT MINISTRY OF DEFENSE ARMS DEAL THREATENS SL AID REF: FREETOWN 262 Classified By: Political Officer Amy LeMar for Reasons 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (S/NF) On July 7, CDA and PolOff met with a high-level, reliable source with access to intelligence across civilian and military agencies. Source informed emboffs of an attempted arms deal brokered by Minister of Defense Palo Conteh, in collaboration with Chief of Defense Staff Major-General Alfred-Claude Nelson-Williams and Assistant Chief of Defense Staff Brigadier Komba Mondeh in early 2009. The deal would have supplied the Ministry of Defense with 10 years of ammunition, paid for on a per unit (i.e. each bullet bought individually) basis, at a cost to the government of USD 8.3 million dollars. The source estimated that this unusual arrangement would have resulted in over USD 2,000,000 in profits to be shared among the brokers, identified as Amyland Inc., and the Ministry of Defense (MOD) representatives. When the UK received back-channel information about the deal, they forced it to be dropped. ¶2. (S/NF) The original deal was recently and secretly resurrected using the same company, at a cost of approximately USD 4.3 million (Note: Source discovered the new deal because an MOD underling accidentally mentioned it during a meeting. End Note). Conteh received approval from the President for an umbrella procurement account for expenses related to the UNAMID deployment. This account will then be used to purchase equipment from Amyland to support the deployment - costs Conteh alleges are required by the UN to be paid by the government up-front for future reimbursement. Source information was confirmed by the Minister of Finance, who queried CDA and PolOff during an office visit on July 1 about donor support for the various peacekeeping deployments. CDA explained that the UK and the USG are providing millions of dollars worth of equipment, and is not aware of the UN requirement or the need for additional equipment. Though unstated, it was clear that the Minister of Finance finds the new procurement agreement, essentially giving the MOD carte blanche access to a USD 4.3 million account, to be irregular. CDA mentioned this to the UK High Commissioner on July 3, whose suspicions were also aroused. 3.(S/NF) Source also shared information about factions within the MOD top brass. Conteh and Nelson-Williams have a �A;particularly close relationship, though neither are known for their soldiering skills. Conteh rose to the rank of Major, and then left the military during the coup in 1991 and later pursued legal studies in the UK. Nelson-Williams joined the military in 1976, was nearly hung for treason in 1998 due to his alleged role in the 1996 coup, but is not known for being particularly impressive. Mondeh, who also escaped a hanging for treason in 1998, dislikes both men: he is particularly hostile towards Conteh, who was given his Cabinet seat due to his popularity with President Koroma. Despite this dislike, Mondeh is the driving force behind the Amyland deal, and likely taking Conteh and Nelson-Williams along for the ride because only they could secure the President's support. Another faction consists of the Deputy Chief of Defense Staff, Brigadier Robert Y. Koroma, and (Rtd.) Brigadier Kellie Conteh, the National Security Advisor to the President. Koroma is known to be an effective soldier, and could have a historical relationship with Kellie Conteh. These two factions fight for the ear of the President, but his closeness to the Defense Minister means that sometimes his decisions are made during private discussions with Conteh, independently of the National Security Council. It's likely that Palo Conteh was able to push the new Amyland procurement agreement with the President by assuring him behind closed doors that it is required for peacekeeping participation. ¶4. (S/NF) Source also shared this information with the British, and they intend to quash the second iteration of the deal. The planned Consultative Group meeting with donor countries, expected to be hosted by the UK in London in November, will be canceled should the deal move forward. They believe that this deal, like the one before it, was brokered for the sole purpose of giving Palo Conteh and others a slush fund, at a time when the Government has little revenue and is facing a possible currency crisis (reftel). ¶5. (S/NF) Comment: Peacekeeping activities are a priority of the President, both to raise the national profile and to provide needed revenue to his cash-starved budget. There has been pressure, then, to move as quickly as possible to make deployments happen. The President is vulnerable to misinformation regarding this topic, focusing on the ends rather than the means, and it appears that one of his favorites is using that to his advantage. Minister Conteh is FREETOWN 00000266 002 OF 002 known for being savvy and smooth, but not sharp. Nelson-Williams is thought by some to be sycophantic, and generally gives the answers that others want to hear regardless of accuracy or appropriateness. Mondeh has business acumen, and is using Conteh and Nelson-Williams for fairly easy profit. What none apparently anticipated was the close eye being kept by donors on peacekeeping, and the collective determination to maintain close controls on an easily-exploited process. The new Minister of Finance is also likely an unexpected foe. With stakes as high as these - peacekeeping and the Consultative Group meeting - the President will be forced to take a closer look at the integrity of his Ministry of Defense. The question remains, though, of what other secret deals are being brokered that he, and the watchdog international community, are in the dark about. End Comment. FEDZER