When news hit the airwaves that the Palestinian born Fouad Ayoub, residing in Sierra Leone for considerable time now has succeeded in corrupting some members of the Sierra Leone Police Force attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to stall and subsequently drop charges against him in a matter that involved the issuance and marketing of Sierra Leone’s passport, it was initially thought that it was a big joke peddled around.
But it would appear that while members of the public may have perceived the news as a joke, the reality it would seem; cannot be disputed.
News about the sum of US$50,000 allegedly dished out to prevent his detention in police custody was disputed until when investigation was conducted and discoveries made that he spent less time in an outside detention at the CID and was later released.
It became shocking and disappointing to the ears of many Sierra Leoneans hearing the news. Up to press time, police are maintaining seal lips on the matter, unofficial police sources are blaming some senior police officers that are handling the matter and can give directives to junior officers at the Criminal Investigation Department.
Some senior officers at the Police Headquarters interested in cases that may be connected to either directly or indirectly can also interfere with matters and paralyze investigation of some cases, the Fouad Ayoub,s case is no exception. It would be recall that a tip-off received by police from a relative of a non-citizen of Sierra Leone led police to storm the office of Fouad Ayoub on Rawdon Street, where it was believed that illegal passports business was being carried out. They reportedly grab some relevant documents, including foreign currencies and some Leones and later whisked him to the criminal
Investigation Department for further interrogations. Following the Rawdon Street raid activities, police later went to Africanus Hotel at Frazer Drive, off King Street. This is an extension of the Rawdon Street office and it was later learnt, that most of Ayoub,s customers are asked to lodge at the Africanus Hotel owned by the Ayoubs.
Police claimed that nothing of interest to their investigation was discovered. Police had seized a Sierra Leone passport which allegation states that the non citizen allegedly paid Fouad Ayoub the sum of over US$404,000 for a Sierra Leonean Passport, Driver’s License and Identity Card. What has sent many Sierra Leoneans into a state of disillusionment about the police, is the level of respectability and honour being accorded to Fouad Ayoub, when such has never been extended to the ordinary Sierra Leonean that is under investigation by men and women of the Sierra Leone Police. It will shock many Sierra Leoneans to learn that the investigation has lost steam and focus, whether it was as a result of the “unofficial incentive” allegedly received or perhaps when news alleged that it was this same individual that provided under an emergency, passport for LAC, the notorious killer of DJ Clef who was granted Presidential pardon. The passport investigation by the Fraud Division at the Criminal Investigation Department of Fouad Ayoub has hit the rocks and cannot penetrate through.
Money may have been used to block the penetrable pins of the bullets and have become dented to go through. At the time, investigation had gathered steam, Officials at the Criminal Investigation Department wrote a letter to the Chief Immigration Officer, which was copied to the various Ministers at the Ministry of Internal affairs, the supervisory body and contents requested for the professional opinion of the sample of passport and passport pictures sent to the immigration Department.
efforts began Affairs, the supervisory body and contents requested for the status of the the professional opinion of the sample of passport and practitioners receive passport pictures sent to the immigration Department.
The verification and professional opinion did not last for long when it was was responded to, but when it was revealed that the same suspect helped in the escape of the notorious LAC, efforts began to stall and question that bother on the status of the investigation asked by nosy media practitioner.
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