By Aminata Abu Bakarr Kamara

In what could become a landmark confrontation between state sovereignty and corporate power in Sierra Leone, First Lady Dr. Fatima Maada Bio through her legal team has delivered a forceful legal response to defamation threats issued by Octea Limited, a controversial foreign-owned diamond mining conglomerate. Rooted in constitutional law, human rights conventions, and a paper trail of alleged abuses, the rebuttal challenges a company long accused of operating with impunity, more than just a legal reply, the document stands as a national call to defend justice, transparency, and Sierra Leone’s dignity against what many see as neo-colonial exploitation.

Tuesday , 13 May 2025, Annexed to the first lady’s legal response is a joint statement dated March 7, 2025, co-signed by Octea and the Ministry of Labour, acknowledging her pivotal role in resolving a labour dispute at the Koidu mine, the company initially thanked Dr. Bio for her mediation and agreed to reinstate wrongfully dismissed workers and improve working conditions.

Yet, in a dramatic reversal just weeks later, Octea accused the first lady of interference, dishonesty, and even extortion. Her legal team denounced the shift as a deceptive joke taken too far,” noting that it violates Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which protects the right to receive and impart information in the public interest.

This reversal, the legal team argues, signals not confusion but a deliberate attempt to suppress scrutiny and silence civic oversight, at the heart of the conflict lies Octea’s breach of the March agreement, the company allegedly failed to uphold its promise to pay workers in U.S. dollars, instead reverting to an outdated exchange rate of Le6.50 per USD despite the Leone’s devaluation. This practice effectively undercuts wages and violates both Clause 8.1 of employee contracts and Section 7 of the 1991 Constitution, which mandates fair and adequate livelihoods for all citizens.

Additionally, this conduct flouts the 2004 Labour Act, and contravenes the ECOWAS Mining Directive (C/DIR.3/05/09), which mandates that mineral wealth must benefit workers and host communities alike, Octea’s allegation that the First Lady attempted extortion is dismissed as baseless and defamatory. Her legal counsel asserts that every meeting between her and the company was at Octea’s request, and that no evidence exists of solicitation or coercion.

Under both Sierra Leonean and Guernsey law Octea is registered in the latter such defamatory accusations may result in civil liability, especially when they threaten the reputational integrity of a public figure, furthermore, the companies Act of 2009 empowers Sierra Leonean regulators to investigate corporate conduct that undermines public interest. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights also prohibit retaliation against those who expose corporate wrongdoing.

The legal response details a troubling pattern of structural abuse, Workers are paid in devalued currency, severely reducing their real income, NASSIT pension contributions are reportedly under-reported or evaded altogether, Local employees earn up to 10 times less than foreign counterparts in identical roles.

These disparities violate the ILO Equal Remuneration Convention No. 100, ratified by Sierra Leone in 1967, as well as provisions of the 2004 Labour Act. The legal team brands these practices as institutionalised economic apartheid, citing the stark wage gaps and exploitative labour structure, Beyond economic exploitation, Octea faces damning allegations about health and safety standards at its mining sites:

Workers allegedly lack access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities, Some are reportedly forced to relieve themselves near heavy machinery, Prolonged exposure to hazardous chemicals is endured without protective gear.

These practices may amount to violations of Article 24 of the African Charter, which guarantees the right to a safe working environment, they may also qualify as forced labour under ILO Convention No. 29, and breach the UN Guidelines on Corporate Accountability.

The legal team has raised the possibility of invoking the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme designed to eliminate conflict diamonds as a means of sanctioning Octea, they also cite the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, which demand ethical conduct and worker protection.

Octea’s language and posture toward the first lady have been condemned by her legal counsel as undignified, rude, and ill-advised, the letter questions whether such disrespect would ever be directed at a European First Lady, suggesting a broader pattern of racialized and gendered condescension.

This corporate stance, they argue, is not just insulting it reflects a deeper neo-colonial mindset that exploits African resources while denigrating African leadership, as Kwame Nkrumah once warned, neocolonialism is the worst form of imperialism and Octea’s conduct, critics argue, is a modern expression of that old tyranny, the legal team has issued several non-negotiable demands:

A public apology and formal retraction from Octea, payment of $50 million in reparations to the National Revenue Authority for wage and tax violations, threat of legal action in both Sierra Leone and Guernsey if no resolution is reached, escalation to global watchdogs including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, these actions are framed not as personal redress, but as a public service to defend Sierra Leonean workers, uphold constitutional rights, and end corporate impunity.

Civil society organisations such as Oxfam and the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre have been invited to monitor Octea’s conduct moving forward.

This is not merely a defamation dispute. It is a referendum on how African nations handle foreign corporations that operate beyond reproach, if followed through, this case could set a powerful precedent not just for Sierra Leone, but for other African countries grappling with similar exploitation, the first lady’s stand signals a new era of civic and political resolve. Sierra Leone may finally be declaring: no more looting without accountability, no more disrespect without consequences.

should launch an immediate inquiry into Octea’s labour and financial practices, the National Revenue Authority (NRA) must audit historic payroll fraud, NASSIT should investigate and recover unpaid contributions, with prosecutions where warranted, independent human rights monitors must be granted access to Octea facilities, civil society should consider a national boycott of Octea pending reforms, Legal institutions should pursue both civil and criminal accountability under national and international law.

Sierra Leone must no longer be a silent shareholder in its own exploitation, this legal response is not just a defence it is a patriotic declaration, the country’s mineral wealth must uplift its people, not entrench inequality.

Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Friday, May 19th, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)