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Sierra Leone’s Minister of Works, Dennis Sandy has been accused of an attempted by his step-daughter, Amira Koroma.
Koroma, who is now residing in the US, shared her ordeal on her Facebook page stating that the Minister attempted to rape her when she was an 8-year-old.
“I survived an attempted rape by my step dad, who is the current Minister of Works, twice Minister of Lands and the irony is that this man who was the Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs,” the activist said.
Koroma, who is now a gender activist and feminist said she has been quiet over the issue after receiving series of threats from her step father and some government officials.
“I received a series of threats from government officials from my home country (Sierra Leone) including my step father and quiet recently he made a threat that he will ensure that he wipes not only me but my entire family,” Koroma said.
She added that she is forced to come out after Sandy also attempted to rape her younger sister. The activist described her life with Sandy as undergoing “the worst torture” for 17 years. She also accused the Minister of physically abusing her mother since they got married in 2007.
“It has been a whole journey full of sadness, pain, beating, torture and abuse,” she said.
Koroma said that people close her are aware of the actions of her step father especially the physical abuse her mother suffered. Minister Sandy, she said, denied the allegations claiming that she and sister want to tarnish his image. But the activist encouraged the government to corroborate her claim through a polygraph test.
“I have some excerpts from some of the recordings of his brother and him (Sandy) asking my people that I make a statement that what I said was out of anger,” she said. She added that she disagreed to their request and went on to public denounce him.
Friends reacting to the video, sympathised with her encouraging her to be strong while some called for action against Sandy.
Sierra Leone repealed its sexual laws in 2019, making it one of the toughest laws in the African region. Convicts guilty of sexual crimes often spend long years in one of the worst prisons in the world.
Sandy is nothing but a pedophilia. He sees young girls are sex tools and desires for them like a hungry lion . But sadly, the government of Sierra Leone will not do anything about. Cuz they are always good at protecting people in power .
Let’s the law take is action.
It’s not true
Why didn’t you say it early?
Why keeping silent for such a long time? I wonder what you gonna achieve from this…
For all l know, Sandy is a decent man and I found it difficult to believe this story.
How true is this? Pls stop this
These are the people “governing” our country – sick, depraved, demented, violent domestic abusers which they have extended to our body politic. Remind you of someone else? But what was the role of the mother (of Amira) in all this – allowing her daughters to be subjected to abuse for such a long period? Totally messed up…
In our legal system the accuser, not the accused, has the burden of proof (either by production or persuasion). The accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty. And who has to provide the proof beyond reasonable doubt? The accuser. S/he has the burden of proving the accusation with a preponderance of quality evidence. So, this lady has to provide proof – for instance – are there people who can collaborate her story? She claims that there are people in government who threatened her with violence. If these people have names, then she come up with the names. What is the end game to this accusation? Asylum seeker… may be.
I wonder the type of politics this young lady is playing, even if you don’t like this decent man but consider the good things he has don for you and your younger sister. All I could say is we need strong evidence to justify your claim, do you think by coming to social media and and allege against such a man will gain you what, only public attention that all you could get infact some of us will start asking how much were you paid to do what you are doing and who sent you?.
Let them investigate by requesting for those government officials.