By Nightwatch Investigative Team
It has been reliably disclosed to Nightwatch that a certain Ismail El Abbouti appointed by President Julius Maada Bio as Special Envoy Trade and Investment representing the Government of Sierra Leone has in a typical wild-west pattern of scam swindled a whooping USD 300 from an Argentinian citizen, Jose Ignacio Castelluchio.
The scam stared with an initial gentleman’s agreement between Jose, his Commercial Director, Zdravko Volgar and Ismail Abbouti to get diamond suppliers with authentic licenses to supply diamonds to him through his JC Mining Company that is duly registered in Sierra Leone.
“We wanted to leverage on Mr. Abbouti’s connections to access credible suppliers of diamonds to our company,” Jose Castelluchio stated, disclosing that they met on the matter at the Mamba Point Hotel Restaurant where Abbouti smartly informed them that he has backed off from the diamond business and that he is now focused on gold mining which he has lately found to be lucrative.
Abbouti is said to have lured these guys into believing that he owns a vast expanse of in the Tonkolili District near Masanga village from which he informed his unsuspecting victims that his daily gold production exceeds 100 gram and not less than 120 grams on the average, using less than 24 boxes. The boxes are used for loading gravel that is deposited into the washing machine. He went on to have convinced the unsuspecting Jose and his Commercial Director that his piece of land on which he was conducting his gold mining operation is rich in deposits that in two months when he started operations, he was able to extract 5kilograms of gold from just 20% of one acre of his mining concession land.
Ismael Abbouti had reportedly told Jose and Zdravko that he was looking for an investor with whom he can share by 50-50 with a proposal for an initial investment of USD 100, 000 to be followed by a subsequent investment deposit of USD 200, 000, based on proof of the productiveness of the his concession mining land. He reportedly offered to take the two to his fake mining site in the area near Masanga village in the Tonkolili District, in Northern Sierra Leone.
“We took Mr. Abbouti’s words for granted and as a reality. We accepted to visit the mining site and to see for ourselves proof of the productiveness of the land,” Jose further explained.
But according to Zdravko, when they reached the site, they only saw an open pit about 50 meters long and 10 meters deep; a rickety 318 Caterpillar machine and about 14 artisanal boxes used to wash the gravel.
“We were surprised that what Ismael Abbouti had defined to us as a mining site was without adequate and appropriate machinery since he claimed he was making approximately USD 5, 000 per day and that he has had 5kilograms from the site. So we were expecting a better structured and functioning mining site not the type he had taken us to,” Zdravko explained.
In all of these skit performances by the Sierra Leone’s Special Envoy of the Government of Sierra Leone on Trade and Investment, he was able to convince his prey with a total of 56 grams of extracted gold in just few boxes and few hours of washing.
“At that point, we became convinced and quite surprised at the results we saw and therefore concluded that Ismael Abbouti was truthful and real, based on everything that had been shown to us” Jose stated, but that they were alarmed by Mr. Abbouti’s refusal for the continuation of the washing the next day and all the days we took with him at the mining site, on grounds that he was losing gold using the boxes and that he will only continue washing with a washing plant.
“At this point, Mr. Abbouti was able to convince us to go into business with him,” Jose confirmed, but that in all of what was transpiring between them, Mr. Abbouti had not shown them any documentary proof of hos ownership of the land or whether his company was legally registered in the country.
According to Jose, Mr. Abbouti has confirmed to them that he was operating on his own and not on behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone and he was not going to remit any dime to the Government related to that business.
Investigations showed that in September 2022 they paid USD 34, 000 as part payment for 50% of his concession land and that they give to a certain Mrs. Mary J. Kosia USD 5, 000 for the Paramount Chief, and another USD 2, 500 to the same Mrs. Kosia for documentation works.
“I gave Mr. Abbouti and Mrs. Kosia a total of initial payment of USD 41, 500 for which no receipt was issued and no document from Mrs. Kosia and I was not given any agreement document to show that I owned 20% of the mining concession land of Mr. Abbouti; I was practically being cheated and swindled,” Jose lamented.
Jose went on to reveal that later on in September 2022, him and Abbouti entered into an agreement and he went ahead disbursing money from his JC Mining Company account to buy a washing plant at USD 16, 000 plus USD 4, 000 to reform the machine and to buy an array of machinery and accessories including but not limited to a Volvo 460 Scabber, MSI XTRUDER 255 Material Separator table, three water pumps complete with suction hoses, assorted pipes, a washing machine with capacity to wash 8kilograms of gravel in two separate sections, a Perkin Stanford 55kw white generator, two water tanks, a VB-9 light tower with 4 aljenos beacons with 2-horse power diesel engine.
According to further investigations into grand-style scam and swindling operation, the victim, Jose Ignacio Castelluchio only came to realize the full scam operations in October 2022 that Ismael Abbouti was in fact not the owner of the said mining concession land on which he was now deployed and working. It came out to him that the land was owned by one Abubaker Sidikie Koroma, who was presented to them as the Manager and Abbouti was just a front to swindle any potential prey with interest in the land, and secondly, he came to realize that they have not paid their workers for several months.
But what is more debilitating and frustrating in all of this scamming drama, is the fact now that machines bought by Jose and his JC Mining Company appear to have been confiscated by Abubakar Sidikie Koroma and since the purchase of those hardwares and machinery, nothing has been paid to JC Mining Company as fees for rental or otherwise or even from gold extracted via these machines.
“I and my company have no formal agreement with either Abbouti or Koroma on any aspect of this whole scam. Practically, my equipment and machines are being used by Mr. Koroma and Mr. Abbouti for free since October 2022 and my hard-earned cash has also disappeared through the cunning and dubious actions of Ismael Abbouti, Mary J. Kosia and Abubakar Sidikie Koroma,” Jose Ignacio Castelluchio stated.
Efforts to reach out to Mr. Ismael Abbouti for his comments on the allegation levied against him in the course of our investigation proved futile. His Orange number ******476 and his Africell number ******877 were all mout of coverage area as of call times: Orange- 3:31 pm, Africell-3:30pm.
Our investigations will continue until we get the side of Mr. Ismael Abbouti.
Special Envoy, Ismail EL Abbouti was appointed by the President of Sierra Leone, His Excellency, Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio on December 19th, 2023, as the country’s Special Envoy, Trade and Investment representing the Government of Sierra Leone. He is still serving in that capacity according to his official webpage.
Ismail EL Abbouti, is a prominent figure in the mining industry, holding CEO positions across multiple companies. He currently serves as the CEO of Mining and Development, EP Mining 2 and Development, and Baraka Mining and Development. He also heads Baraka Diamond and Gold, demonstrating his expertise in the diamond and gold sectors. Furthermore, he is associated with AGT Mining and Development, showcasing his involvement in various mining ventures. Beyond his corporate roles, Ismail is also involved in philanthropy through the Baraka Foundation, highlighting his commitment to social responsibility.
Ismail’s leadership across these diverse mining companies and his philanthropic endeavors underscore his significant influence within the industry. His experience spans various facets of mining, from exploration and development to diamond and gold extraction, making him a valuable leader in this sector.
He renders direct support for the President’s agenda; aligning with and advancing the President’s vision for the country; addresses diverse and evolving challenges as directed by the President; and provides expert counsel and support to the President on critical national matters.