Alusine Kanneh, Sierra Leone’s immigration czar, has been dismissed after footage surfaced of him accepting a gift from Johannes Leijdekkers, one of Europe’s most wanted fugitives. Last June, Leijdekkers was sentenced in absentia to 24 years for drug trafficking and murder in the Netherlands, his homeland. He has been in Sierra Leone since 2022, allegedly building influence among political elites. Reports suggest he may have benefited from a controversial investment-for-citizenship scheme Kanneh introduced. The scandal comes amid growing scrutiny of West Africa as a transit hub for drug smuggling. Meanwhile, Sierra Leonean authorities are reportedly considering extraditing Leijdekkers in exchange for a Netherlands-based activist accused of inciting riots.
Source: The Guardian
