Timothy Kabba, Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation, has released information about current diplomatic discussions between Sierra Leone and Guinea about claims of drug activity tied to the Sierra Leone Embassy in Guinea.

Minister Kabba said that Guinean authorities had requested that the former Sierra Leonean Ambassador to Guinea, Alimamy Bangura, have his diplomatic immunity lifted in order to proceed with the drug study.

Sierra Leone, on the other hand, has protested the proposal, citing the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, to which both countries are signatories. The treaty shields ambassadors from criminal and civil jurisdiction by host country, unless there is a clear, direct connection to criminal action.

Kabba added that, according to Sierra Leonean authorities, no definitive proof has been given to link Ambassador Bangura to the drugs discovered in a car under diplomatic protocol. As a result, the proposal for immunity removal is regarded as exceptional and inconsistent with international diplomatic conventions.

The two countries have instead decided to launch a joint inquiry into the situation, with the former ambassador now back in Sierra Leone. Kabba said that both governments are committed to conducting a fair and thorough inquiry into the claims while adhering to diplomatic norms and international law principles.

The case has raised widespread interest, highlighting the delicate agreement between diplomatic immunity and foreign officials’ accountability in the midst of serious criminal allegations. Sierra Leone and Guinea continue to collaborate on a solution.