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Two local leaders were arrested early Wednesday, April 1, over allegations of confiscating local tax receipts from 30 Tribal Authorities (TAs) in an alleged attempt to influence the upcoming Bombali Shebora Chieftaincy Elections.
Alhaji Abdulai Koroma, the Section Chief of Matotoka, and Ibrahim Tholley, the Town Headman of One House Village, were detained following complaints that they unlawfully withheld the receipts and handed them over to Usif Kamara, a chieftaincy candidate.
Under Sierra Leone’s Public Elections Act of 2022 and the Chieftaincy Act of 2009, confiscating voter documents or administering secret oaths to influence elections are severe offenses punishable by heavy fines and up to five years in prison.
The arrests followed complaints from affected residents, including Fatmata Jalloh and Abdulai Tholley. The victims alleged that after repeatedly asking for their tax receipts, they were taken to candidate Usif Kamara’s residence. There, the Section Chief and other elders reportedly told the voters that their receipts would be kept until election day, at which point the TAs would be “camped” and taken care of by the candidate.
Seeking justice, the aggrieved residents brought their case to the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board. Isatu Kamara, an Alternative Dispute Resolution Officer for the board, immediately escalated the urgent human rights complaint to the Senior District Officer (SDO) at Mena Hills.
SDO Augustine Fartoma, who oversees chieftaincy elections in the district, stated that he had previously engaged all candidates and local chiefs on the importance of maintaining a free and fair election. Upon receiving the complaint, Fartoma summoned the Section Chief and Town Headman for questioning, which ultimately led to their arrest and detention.
During interrogation, the two accused offered conflicting statements:
Town Headman Ibrahim Tholley admitted to handing the receipts over to candidate Usif Kamara. He claimed he did so under the instruction of Section Chief Koroma, who allegedly told him the taxes were needed for a verification process. Tholley stated that Kamara kept the receipts and promised to return them on election day with a “surprise.”
Section Chief Alhaji Abdulai Koroma denied any knowledge of the receipts being given to Kamara. He claimed the tax receipts were in his possession solely for standard distribution and stated that their visit to the candidate’s house was entirely coincidental.
Candidate Usif Kamara has not responded to calls or messages requesting comment on the allegations of unlawfully receiving and withholding the tax receipts.
Local authorities are continuing their investigation into the matter.
