Sierra Leone President Fires Deputy Over Mining

Jun 10, 2014 | AP
View Original

Sierra Leone's president fired his powerful chief of staff over how he negotiated a mining agreement and his granting of another company the right to log unlimited amounts of timber.

The statement from President Ernest Bai Koroma's office late Monday said Richard Conteh's negotiation of the mining agreement exposed the government to "potential loss of revenue." Conteh also allegedly issued an order allowing one company to export unlimited amounts of timber instead of the 30 containers stipulated by the president.