Summary of the Legal Notice to Sierra Leone’s First Lady
Subject: Notice of intended legal action against Dr. Fatima Maada Bio for unlawful interference, defamation, and incitement leading to the shutdown of Koidu Limited’s diamond mining operations.
Key Allegations:
- Illegal Strike & Interference:
- The First Lady allegedly incited an illegal strike (violating Sierra Leone’s Industrial Relations Act), leading to Koidu’s forced shutdown.
- Workers were falsely told to demand resignations and benefits under fraudulent pretenses.
- Defamation & False Accusations:
- Publicly spread baseless claims of corruption, poor working conditions, and wage injustices—all refuted by government audits and investigations.
- Misrepresented facts about wages (e.g., salaries 3x above minimum wage) and diamond sales (fully monitored by government officials).
- Threats & Violence:
- Encouraged blockades, armed intimidation, and attacks on employees, forcing Koidu to evacuate staff and halt operations.
- No government intervention was provided to ensure safety.
- Financial & National Impact:
- Losses: 16M+inimmediatedamages,16M+inimmediatedamages,20M needed to restart operations.
- Jobs: 1,012 direct and 10,000+ indirect jobs at risk.
- Revenue: Sierra Leone loses critical tax contributions (Koidu paid $173M historically, 31% of extractive industry taxes).
- Foreign Investment: Signals instability, deterring future investors.
Legal Actions Threatened:
- Lawsuits in Sierra Leone, Guernsey (parent company’s jurisdiction), and ECOWAS courts.
- Complaints to international bodies (African Commission on Human Rights, embassies).
- Asset freezes, travel bans, and sanctions sought globally.
Demands:
- $20M compensation to resume operations.
- Public retraction of false statements.
- Cease all interference and threats.
Outcome: Failure to comply will trigger immediate legal proceedings. The letter underscores Koidu’s 22-year compliance with laws and warns of severe economic repercussions for Sierra Leone.
Key Stakeholders Cc’d: President Julius Maada Bio, Ministers of Mines, Finance, and Labour.
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