The management of Charlesco Enterprises and Logistics Company at 7 Short Street in Central Freetown had vowed to take legal action against the UN agency, World Food Program (WFP) country office in Sierra Leone if the administration continue refusing to honor the payment of Eighty Million Leones (Le80M) to the said management for transportation and crane service as agreed.

Explaining to journalists at a well-attended press conference at the address earlier mentioned above, the Manager for Charlesco Logistics Company, Charlie George Williams spoke about the legal agreement signed between himself and management of WFP on 1st July, 2021 to provide transportation and crane services in Port Loko District.

Before I deliver the services, Mr. Williams said he was contacted and held discussion with the Admin at the Logistics Department in respect of the contract, adding that in doing such exercise, he had to measure the tonnage to be used.

Manager Williams said, they told him to provide 15 tonnage of crane services to clear generators. “Each trip should be paid for the sum of twenty million Leones (Le20M).

According to Mr. Williams, the agreement also spelt out clearly that they should transported four generators to 4 different locations within the District which they did satisfactorily.

Mr. Williams continued that WFP staff and the receiver of the generators who penned down their signatures in approving the completion of the job acknowledged the fact that they delivered the crane services as it supposed to be.

Mr. Williams said he was very careful during the time of transporting the generators because he was signed to pay for anything which might damage or got missing during the process of transporting the generators.

He maintained that after the crane services had completed, “I submitted an invoice in the tune of Eighty Million Leones (Le80M) with other necessary documents based on agreement”, he told journalists and discussed that he was surprised to be told by the WFP management that based on the job he did, they would not able to pay him the Le80M as agreed, but they negotiated to offer him Thirty-Five Million Leones (Le35M).

“Up to date they hold on to my payment because they wanted to under pay me against my will” he told reporters.

Mr. Williams said WFP legal department didn’t respond even to the complainant letter written to them by his business lawyer, noting that based on his lawyer’s advice, he organized the press conference to inform the public on how WFP which is perceived as a humanitarian organization is maltreating local companies in the motherland of Sierra Leone.

According to the Logistics Company Manager, they pre-financed the project or used their physical cash not only to pay staff or to maintenance those expensive equipment, but also to buy fuel, pay the toll gates and other unavoidable reasons.

“It is very unfair for a big Organization like WFP to boycott such a legal agreement”, he fumed and queried why the reduction from Le80M-Le35M.

“However, we have been working with WFP for the past five years based on pre-financing projects, but it is bad to deprive the business because they have to pay workers and the maintenance of equipment, advancing that it is not easy to run a whole company at this part of the world.

Concluding, Manager Williams intimated this press that as law abiding citizens, they would be left with no option but to take the appropriate legal action if negotiation continues to fail.

Below is the official responses of WHO Director of Communication on the damning allegations.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has been using its best efforts to amicably resolve differences with Charlie CO Enterprises and Logistics Company regarding the applicable rates for services provided to WFP on 2 July 2021. WFP looks forward to the swift and mutually agreed resolution of this matter.