The Global Parliament of Mayors have decided to stand in solidarity with the Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyer, to stop the continuous harassment by her Opponents.

As an organization of, by and for Mayors from all continents, they are concerned about the continued escalation of aggressive tactics used by opponents against Mayor Aki-Sawyerr, who is currently being investigated simultaneously by the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE was elected as Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone, in March 2018. Since assuming office, her work to Transform Freetown has gained international attention for its inclusive and data-driven approach.

She is a valued member of the Global Parliament of Mayors (GPM) and the most recent recipient of the prestigious Dr. Benjamin Barber Global Cities Award, which recognizes mayors for their outstanding contributions to furthering global urban governance and inspiring city leadership.

According to the Global Parliament of Mayors, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr was given this award for her contributions to addressing climate migration, gender equality and global governance.

The GPM said they supports fair and legitimate anti-corruption investigations, but hopes that these institutions will not be used as weapons to harass political opponents.

They further stated that the misuse of anti-corruption measures undermines the efforts of those fighting justly against corruption and that this abuse can also make international development cooperation projects, which benefit residents, more difficult, if not impossible.

The Global Parliament of Mayors therefore insist that Mayor Aki-Sawyerr be given a fair investigation and the space to carry out her vision and deliver for the residents of Freetown.

“The GPM stands in solidarity with Mayor Aki-Sawyerr” they ended.