Mohamed Saeed a representative of Gava Forest Industries Corporation, Sierra Leone has told this medium that their property at Upper Reservation Kenema town has been forcefully grabbed by Government through the Resident Minister East, Andrew Fartomah for the purposes of building the proposed Kenema Brigade.
Mr.Saeed furthered that, the staff quarters and factory formerly owned by the Forest Industries in Kenema was bought in 2006 by the GAVA Corporation SL Limited from the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Trade under the Hon.Kadie Sesay, National Commission for Privatization (NCP) and the then Forest Industries Corporation of Blama Road in Kenema.
The latter was established by the Forest Industries Corporation Act of 1964 as a 100% owned public enterprise of the GoSL.
A Business and Asset Sale Agreement for the Forest Industries Corporation document available to this medium dated 23rd day of August, 2006 states that, the National Commission for Privatization (NCP) had the right, power and authority to sell the assets (Forest Industries Factory and Quarters) to the buyer( GAVA Forest Industries Corporation SL Limited).
The document had also indicated that, the NCP recommendation to Government to carry out the sale was subjected to the GoSL Parliamentary process in accordance with the laws of Sierra Leone.
GAVA Corporation as per the document was obliged to pay USD 2,300,000.00 (two million, three hundred thousand United States Dollars for the property.
The payment plan was that they pay an initial amount of USD 1,725,000 (One million, seven hundred and twenty five thousand United States Dollars, followed by five other equal monthly installments of USD 95,834.00 (ninety five thousand, eight hundred and thirty four USD)
The payments were made in bank drafts in favour of NCP which was authorized as per the agreement to receive such payments on behalf of the sellers (Government)
GAVA Corporation according to Mr. Mohamed Saeed honored all the terms of agreements as indicated therein and since then the property had remain theirs not until the illegal occupation by the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces for the purposes of constructing the Kenema Brigade.
Mr.Saeed says, twenty nine (29) family heads who were living in the said quarters on behalf of GAVA Forestry Corporation, the legal owners of the property are now been threatened by soldiers currently deployed on the property on the Orders of the RSLAF Military high command even when they fully well know that, the property belongs to GAVA Forestry Corporation.
An attempt by the GAVA Corporation representative in Sierra Leone to school the Resident Minister East on the said property at a meeting at his office in Kenema was not fruitful as Minister Fatormah failed to listen to the GAVA representative on the grounds that, he is acting on the behest of State House to occupy the area for the purposes of building the Kenema Military Brigade.
The Resident Minister has even indicated that, Kenema is in dire need of development and that they would take over the land even when they are aware that Government had sold it to GAVA Forestry.
Lawyers for GAVA Forestry Industries Corporation had written to the Chief of Defence Staff of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces notifying him about the said illegal occupation of the property by the Army and to also indicate their clients’ ownership to the property.
The lawyers had threatened legal proceedings in the supreme Court of Sierra Leone and if necessary the ECOWAS court should the illegal occupation by the army continues.
The Republic of Sierra Lone Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence had announced some few months ago that plans afoot to construct a new Military Brigade in Kenema to serve the East of the country.
As at the time of the announcement an Acting Brigade Commander was already on the ground and other significant preparations had also been done.
It is not known how such a reaction from the owners of the area for the proposed construction site will affect the project.
Efforts by our reporter to have the reactions of the resident Minister East, Andrew Ansu Fatouma and officials of RSALF/MOD proved futile as we went to press.