SDNY COURTHOUSE,
May 8 – Sierra Leone's Mission
to the United Nations has been
sued for "posing an immediate
danger [with] mold and vermin
infestation." Inner City Press
first reported the case on May
21, 2021 and it has since been
picked up.
The Sierra
Leonean Mission is at 245 East
49th Street, right near the
United Nations which also
poses dangers, in its
impunity. Inner City
Press live stream here.
Now Inner City
Press reports, in May 2024,
that Sierra Leone stopped
paying or communicating with
its lawyers at Foley Hoag, who
on May 8 withdrew, see below.
Then from
Freetown, this: "The
Commissioner explained that
the investigations revealed
that an initial Two Million
Five Hundred and Sixty US
Dollars (USD 2,560,000.00) was
approved for the refurbishment
of the building around 2012.
He said a Procurement Unit was
formed in New York during the
stewardship of the then
Ambassador Vandi Minah to
ensure that procedures were
complied with. This followed
quotations received from
newspapers in the US to invite
bidders and bids were received
with the highest being
Eighteen Thousand US Dollars
(USD 18,000) from the New York
Times and the lowest was One
thousand one hundred and
fifty-five US Dollars( USD
1,155.00) from Sunday
Metro. ..Yet the
Government of Sierra Leone
signed the contract
represented by the then
Ambassador/Permanent
Representative to the United
Nations, Adikalie Foday
Sumah,” he said.
Commissioner Kaifala said
immediately after the signing
of the contract, the sum of
One Million US Dollars
($1,000,000.00) was remitted
into the mission’s building
account in Citi Bank in New
York... The Commissioner said
the the ACC had concluded
therefore that the
transactions surrounding the
contract are fraudulent and
did not follow due process,
thus all involving parties
will be held accountable. It
is in this regard he stated
that the Commission, during
the course of the
investigations, interrogated a
number of persons of interest,
including former Permanent
Representative to the UN Dr.
Alie Kabba, former Minister of
Development Dr. Francis
Kaikai, the Accountant General
Richard Solomon Ralph
Williams, former Ministers of
Foreign Affairs Nabeela Tunis
and Dr Samura Kamara, former
Director General of the
Ministry and current and
former Heads of Chancery,
among others. He said, based
on the investigations, not
less than six people,
including the contractor, will
be indicted by the Commission
for their various roles in the
misappropriation of funds,
which has caused an
embarrassment to the country,
as the State has been sued by
neighbors of the country’s UN
House in New York as result of
this project."
And now, a
request to add two more
parties to the lawsuit. Sierra
Leone's Mission to the corrupt
UN is due October 4. Watch
this site.
On June 4,
not the Mission but contractor
Empire Group NYC, LCC made a
number of proposals, including
cleaning up the Mission's
debris. The cover letter says,
"as soon as the Permanent
Mission of the Republic of
Sierra Leone to the United
[Nations] appears in the case,
the Court should schedule a
prompt return date for its
response to the OTSC issued by
the Court."
On July 26 an
emergency hearing was sought
as Sierra Leone's UN mission
and its contractors refuse to
comply with an order, for
example: "Remove all debris
from inside the Mission that
pose an ongoing fire hazard...
The Mission's lawyers have
refused to take additional
photographs or any any
inspection of the Mission on
purported grounds of Sierra
Leone's national security."
And the response
on July 27 confirmed: "The
Mission has imposed certain
restrictions on access to and
documentation from within the
Mission, as referenced in the
Plaintiffs' Letter, citing
national security grounds."
Sounds like the corrupt
UN-world of Guterres, still
banning Press.
So does this
invocation of impunity: on
August 20, Sierra Leone's
lobbying firm put in a letter
that argues that its decrepit,
nuisance "diplomatic premises
are inviolable as a matter of
federal and international
law." Tony's law - beat up the
press, kill with cholera,
leave garbage everywhere, and
cite immunity. Will it work?
After
Inner City Press exclusively
reported on this case, and was
contacted by media in Sierra
Leone, now the Foreign
Ministry has issued a two page
press release saying it has
been directed to our media
report, and calling it
misleading and inaccurate.
While
unlike the even more corrupt
UN of Antonio Guterres, who
rather than respond to
questions using UN Security to
rough
up and ban the Press
that asks them, the Ministry
has spoken, it does not stand
up. Just consider the photos
of how they left the site of
their "Chancery."
And they do not
specify what they say the US
State Department did not do.
(Inner City Press got answers
from the State Department on
May 27, here,
but has not yet asked about
this, since it didn't know of
the Ministries response until
May 28).
The
pickers-upper also note that
Sierra Leone's government
transferred some $3.2 million
to their UN Mission in New
York, including "5-Sep-19
FT1924808290 Outward Swift
Payment 9,329,999,975.14," the
spending of which remains
unclear given the conditions
of the "Chancery." There's
also the IMF's March 15, 2021
OK-ing of $50.37 million to
Sierra Leone under its Rapid
Credit Facility. We aim to
have more on this. Watch this
site.
Next door
neighbors have sued the
Mission in the U.S. District
Court for the Southern
District of New York, which
Inner City Press while banned
from the UN by Antonio
Guterres now covers daily.
The
complaint identifies Sierra
Leonean diplomats' "failure to
follow basic fire-prevention
protocols... creating an
opportunity for flying debris,
fire and other
dangers."
The SDNY docket
reflects that, of the
complaint, "service was accept
by Fatima (F/B 40-49 years
old, 5'4" tall, 140 pounds
with black hair and brown
eyes) who advised at the time
of service that she is
authorized to accept on behalf
of the Permanent Mission of
the Republic of Sierra Leone
to the UN."
On May 27,
the SDNY's Deputy Clerk
certified serving the
country's foreign minister,
pursuant to the Provisions of
the Foreign Sovereign
Immunities Act, 28 USC
1608(a)(3).
On
November 29, 2021, Sierra
Leone's law firm wrote to
Judge Ramos that they would
like to move to dismiss based
on the total immunity of
Sierre Leone, no matter what
it does.This is the
international system / racket
under Antonio Guterres.
On June 27, 2022
with the case still going, the
Harvey's wrote to Judge Ramos
that "a significant rat
infestation has invaded the
Harvey's home from the
headquarters." UNHQ?
On July 1, 2022,
Judge Ramos denied Sierra
Leone's motion to dismiss:
"MOTION to Dismiss filed by
Permanent Mission of The
Republic of Sierra Leone to
the United Nations. The
Mission's motion to dismiss is
DENIED. The Harvey's motion
for contempt and sanctions is
DENIED in large part, and the
motion for a preliminary
injunction is DENIED. The
parties are directed to appear
for a status conference on
July 15, 2022."
In October 2022,
Sierra Leone wrote it to
"clarify" that it would not
even be attending the October
26 status conference, since it
got a stay pending appeal to
the Second Circuit on the
issue of diplomatic immunity.
How dangerous could the
building get? Judge Ramos
conferred with those who did
attend, and directed that a
proposed case management plan
be submitted by October 28.
Jump cut to May
8, 2024 - Judge Ramos granted
the request for Foley Hoag to
drop Sierra Leone as a client
- the firm said Sierra Leone
was not paying, and had not
even communicated in ten
months. Dysfunction? Impunity?
Or both? This is today's UN
World of SG Antonio Guterres.
Letter to withdraw
for non payment on Patreon here
Inner City
Press will be following this
case, and others of impunity.
The case is
Harvey et al. v. Permanent Mission of the
Republic of Sierra Leone to the UN, et al.,
21-cv-4368 (Ramos)
***
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