Police of the Criminal Investigations Department in Freetown on Wednesday granted a Le50m bail to the Managing Editor and Proprietor of the Nightwatch Newspaper, Mr. Emmanuel Christian Thorli. He was arrested on allegations of conspiracy to commit a felony, to wit defamatory libel.
The Managing Editor was whisked off by plain clothes police officers on the afternoon hours of Monday, 14th January, 2019. The arrest was ordered by the head of the Criminal Investigations Department.
According to police demands, the Managing Editor of the nightwatch newspaper should disclose the source of an article his newspaper published on the 10th January, 2019 titled, ‘Over 300 Diplomatic Passports For Paopa Relatives And Families.’
The said article had exposed the Sierra Leone Government for issuing a huge number of diplomatic passports to relatives and families. The present government had used the passport issue to criticize the past administration. In fact, the Anti-Corruption Commission is currently investigating past government officials on the issue, including the former Chief Immigration Officer, Mr. Alpha Kholifa Koroma.
The 48 hours detention of the Managing Editor provoked various reactions both within and outside the media. The country’s umbrella body for journalists also prevailed on the Sierra Leone Police to grant the Editor bail.
Police had no option but to grant a Le 50 million bail. The Managing Editor was squeezed in four rigorous interviews. A search warrant was also conducted in the premises of the Newspaper, but nothing incriminating was found.
Emmanuel Christian Thorli had maintained that he stood by the contents of the story and he will in no way disclose his source, which was the subject of the entire investigation.
The arrest of the Managing Editor has cast doubts over the commitment of President Bio’s Government to decriminalize libel, as stated in his speech to journalists during a cocktail dinner organized by the State House media team.
