Sierra Leone’s first lady, Fatima Bio, said in a public statement that she owes “no explanation” to an OCCRP investigation that exposed her luxury property portfolio in Gambia.
On 10 May, OCCRP revealed that Bio, her mother, and two half-brothers had acquired a string of high-end real estate up the coast in Gambia. The purchases took place after the first lady’s husband, Julius Maada Bio, became president in April 2018.
Sale records and other documents obtained by reporters showed the properties included villas, beachfront apartments, and a four-storey apartment building, plus the development of a 70-bedroom hotel. All together, the relatives spent just over $2.1 million on at least 10 real estate transactions.
Shortly after the investigation was published, Fatima Bio denounced it on her official Facebook page as “taking pictures of houses and claiming the ownership without documentation.”
“No amount of blackmail will shot [sic] me up,” she added.
In an hour-long video published on her Facebook page on 16 May, she went on to falsely accuse OCCRP of giving her only 24 hours to respond to queries. But her video included a screenshot of the email sent to her ahead of publication, showing she was asked to respond within nine days.
In the email, OCCRP asked her to comment on the investigation’s findings and to explain the source of the funds used to pay for the Gambian real estate.
The first lady also drew a baseless link in her video between OCCRP’s investigation and her dispute with Koidu Limited, a company operating Sierra Leone’s largest diamond mine.
After Bio joined a protest in March by workers at the company calling for better working conditions, Octea Limited, Koidu Limited’s owner, issued a legal notice in May alleging that her “unlawful, defamatory, and malicious statements and actions” had disrupted its mining operations. The company’s owner demanded $20 million in compensation from her.
In her Facebook video, Bio falsely said the OCCRP journalist reporting the story was “sent” by Koidu Limited to investigate her.
“I refused to answer him because I had absolutely nothing to tell him and I owe him no explanation,” she said.
OCCRP has previously reported on Koidu Limited’s alleged rights abuses, and has published a series of investigations into Beny Steinmetz, whose company BSG Resources was Koidu Limited’s long-time owner.
In collaboration with The Times of London, OCCRP also reported evidence that Bio continues to rent a council flat — a form of subsidized public housing — in London’s Southwark area. She appears to maintain the flat despite residing in the presidential lodge in Freetown, and owning multiple new properties in Gambia. Council rules require flats to be used as a primary residence.
The first lady has not acknowledged questions about the council flat, and did not respond to follow-up queries from OCCRP.
A spokesperson from Southwark Council declined to comment on individual cases but stressed it was important that its apartments were allocated to those in need.
“There is huge demand for council homes in Southwark and it’s important they go to people in the very greatest need. We regularly take action to investigate allegations of tenancy fraud,” the press officer said.
In a statement referencing the investigation, Sierra Leone’s main opposition party, the All People’s Congress, said the country “continues to face international embarrassment under the Bio-led administration.”
The Sierra Leonean magazine Sierra Eye also cited OCCRP’s investigation in an editorial criticizing the administration, saying: “We are plagued by immense poverty and cannot afford leaders whose families appear to amass fortunes abroad while preaching reform at home.”
Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Commission, Minister of Information Chernor Bah, and Chief Minister David Sengeh did not respond to requests to comment.
