Germany Reportedly Rejects Sierra Leonean Diplomat, Declares “Persona Non Grata”

Reports monitored from the Sierra Leone Embassy in Berlin, Germany have it that the Government of Sierra Leone has again misplaced another Foreign Service job in the wrong hands, which has left authorities in Germany with little or no option, but to call for the recall of the unqualified Sierra Leonean diplomat.

Wrongly placed to serve as an Information Attache to the Sierra Leone Embassy in Germany, the unfit Sierra Leonean diplomat, name withheld has been declared “Persona Non Grata” (PNG), according to diplomatic sources.

The Sierra Leone government through the line ministries of Foreign Affairs and International Corporation and Information and Civic Education haven’t explained the reason behind the expulsion of one of their diplomatic staff from the Sierra Leone mission in Germany.

Concerns are that the diplomat in question has been asked to leave Germany within the next few days.

Sources within top Ministries, Departments and Agencies have it that, in order to avoid further diplomatic embarrassment and save the country’s reputation from the drains, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance are working swiftly to remit the repatriation cost of the unfit diplomat so that he leaves Germany within the given period of time.

Under Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a receiving state may “at any time and without having to explain its decision” declare any member of a diplomatiс staff person non grata.

It could be recalled that this is the second time a Sierra Leonean diplomat is being expelled from Germany under the governing Sierra Leone People’s Party SLPP-led administration.

A senior staff of the Foreign Ministry, attached to the Europe Division in an interview explained condition of anonymity that the appointments of most of the foreign service personnel are hardly based on competent as it is required to be, but by mere political patronage with directives from either the presidency or other ruling partisans, which is the more reason most diplomatic staff cannot deliver on their jobs. Germany, the staff explained, is not the only station or Sierra Leone diplomatic mission with such situations

He continued that there are so many other Sierra Leone diplomatic missions with incompetent, untrained and unqualified staff in their areas of responsibilities who are not performing their duties in accordance with the terms of reference of their respective jobs.