Freetown, Sierra Leone – May 8, 2025 – The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Sierra Leone has strongly denied claims made in a letter from Octea Limited, dated May 6, 2025, addressed to the Office of the First Lady. The letter allegedly misrepresented the Commission’s stance on its investigation into Koidu Holdings (SL) Limited and made misleading statements concerning the First Lady.
In a press statement released today, the ACC clarified that it “has an ongoing investigation against Koidu Holdings Limited for serious corruption offences under the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 as amended in 2019,” and stressed that no official conclusion has been reached.
“At no point has the Commission confirmed the absence of corruption, bribery, or any related offenses involving Koidu Holdings,”* the statement emphasized. “The issues are still actively under investigation, and the public will be duly informed when the process is concluded.”
This comes in response to a portion of Octea’s letter that claimed, “The Sierra Leone Anti-Corruption Commission…has confirmed there was no evidence of any corruption, bribery or similar alleged activities of Koidu.”
The ACC has now publicly labeled that assertion as inaccurate and misleading.
On a separate issue, the Commission also addressed a claim in the same letter that the First Lady, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, was investigated for allegedly misusing public and charity funds for personal travel, shopping, and accommodation.
The ACC categorically denied this claim, stating that its investigation focused solely on the legitimacy of public funds being allocated to the Office of the First Lady.
“Our investigation reviewed whether the use of public funds for that office was appropriate,” the Commission explained. “We concluded that it was, given that previous First Ladies also received similar or even larger allocations through the Presidency or other MDAs to support national projects.”
The ACC further disclosed that following the review, preventative recommendations were made to strengthen accountability, and these have been fully implemented.
The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and called on individuals and organizations to refrain from spreading misinformation that could undermine public trust in the integrity of national institutions.
“We urge all parties to wait for official conclusions and avoid speculative or false public claims,” the statement concluded.
