Foreign Ministry Suspends Four Officials Over Visa-Processing Irregularities
Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has suspended four officials and ordered the recall of two diplomatic postings following an investigation into alleged visa-processing irregularities.
According to a press release issued on October 12, 2026, an internal Investigative Committee submitted a report concerning a September 2023 visa-processing exercise referenced by Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis which has revealed significant institutional lapses—including failures in administrative and consular procedures, document verification, authorization, and supervisory oversight—leading ministry leadership to refer the matter to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for a formal statutory investigation.
The suspended officials include Alieu Badara Mansaray (Head of Chancery in Algeria and former head of the Consular Unit), Thomas Alfred Sengeh (Acting Deputy Secretary), Isatu Joselyn Jalloh (Senior Assistant Secretary), and Shamit Aminata Tarawallie (Second Secretary at Sierra Leone’s Embassy in Ireland), with both Mansaray and Tarawallie recalled from their overseas assignments with immediate effect.
Officials clarified that these administrative actions are precautionary and do not constitute a determination of criminal guilt and revealed subsequent legal or administrative actions will depend on the outcome of the ACC’s investigation and decisions by competent legal authorities.
“These measures do not constitute findings of criminal wrongdoing or final determinations of individual responsibility,” the Ministry stated in its release.
Additionally, the Ministry directed that a formal written apology be issued to Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis addressed internal procedural failures, emphasizing its full cooperation with ongoing anti-corruption inquiries while strengthening internal consular safeguards and maintaining accountability, due process, and integrity across Sierra Leone’s diplomatic operations.
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