Sierra Leone’s largest mining company, Koidu Limited has publicly accused the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and its Commissioner, Francis Ben Kaifala, of engaging in an “abuse of power,” “unlawful actions,” and “corruption.”

The accusations are detailed in a letter dated June 4, 2025, from Koidu Limited’s Director, Mr. Gustaf Fredrik Bodin, addressed to Commissioner Kaifala.

At the heart of the dispute is a payment of salaries, NASBIT, food supplies, electricity, fuel, and legal fees made by Koidu Limited through GT Bank. Koidu Limited states that the ACC informed GTBank the payment was unauthorized, prompting the bank to block it. Koidu Limited alleges this action was an “abuse of power” designed to “deliberately undertaken to destroy the Company.”

The letter describes the ACC’s behavior as a “corrupt matter, facilitated by a bogus investigation,” and an “assault on a lawfully abiding company that reinforces the unfriendly business environment of Sierra Leone.”

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The letter further claims that the ACC’s actions are influenced by instructions from the First Lady, Mrs. Fatima Bio, who Koidu Limited alleges is using the ACC to “siphon public funds.” Koidu Limited states it refused to investigate Mrs. Bio for “disregarded allegations of her corruption and unexplained wealth.” The company also claims that Mrs. Bio’s “very close relationship with Mrs. Bio is evidenced in the enclosed Appendix,” and that she “unashamedly waives bundles of cash at you.”

In a separate but related accusation, Koidu Limited alleges that Mrs. Bio was responsible for the appointment of a “Mr. Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala” at the ACC, and that she “promotes her political ambitions and attack her opponents.” The company states that if individuals cannot “recognise your conflict of interest, then you are unfit for office and your organisation is severely compromised.”

Koidu Limited also highlighted an incident where an employee, who had faced questioning by the police over two days and threats of detention without presenting “any credible evidence,” was allegedly “intimidated and frustrated” into providing “wrongdoing by Koidu.”

The company claims the employee was released without charge and the case was subsequently closed, which Koidu Limited suggests “highlights to all existing and prospective investors the vulnerability of individuals when working in Sierra Leone regarding the scant adherence to the laws of the country.”

Furthermore, Koidu Limited asserts that the ACC’s actions “place a large spotlight of the dangers for foreign investors in risking their capital in Sierra Leone.” The company claims that “the actions of the ACC further underline why the IMF and World Bank have allegedly ceased all funding to Sierra Leone due to misappropriating $67M allocated for ghost government projects.” This, according to Koidu Limited, indicates that Sierra Leone “consistently performs woefully in the Corruption Perception Index overseen by Transparency International.”

Koidu Limited stated its intention to address the situation “through a legal system that is independent of the Sierra Leone judiciary, its government and your influence.”