PRESS RELEASE
Jihad Swaid
No. 1, Wilberforce Street, Freetown, Sierra Leone
PUBLIC STATEMENT BY JIHAD SWAID 27TH October 2025
RE: FALSE ALLEGATIONS OF FRAUDULENT GOLD TRANSACTION
I am compelled to address recent social media post that wrongly associate my name and that of my son Hady Swaid (a university student), with an alleged fraudulent gold transaction. These claims are entirely unfounded and appear to stem from a private contractual arrangement between Mr. George Slim Ganda (representing Est. Miners Co. SL Ltd.) and Dr. Aruna Sree Sana; sometime in 2024.
To set the record straight, I wish to clarify the following facts:
- I was not a party to the contract between Dr. Aruna Sree Sana and Mr. George Slim Ganda, nor did I or my son, receive any funds from Dr. Sana—whether intended for Mr. Ganda or otherwise.
- I became aware of the details of the transaction at a later stage, at which point I learned that Dr. Aruna Sree Sana had approached my son—who was on holiday from his university in the UK—for assistance in purchasing gold. As an incentive, she offered him a 20% share of her anticipated profit, an arrangement formally recorded in a written agreement between them.
- I further learnt that in good faith my son, had witnessed the agreement between Dr Sana and Mr Ganda. Additionally, he had also extended a personal loan of $18,000 to Dr. Sana to help her fulfil her payment obligations to Mr. Ganda.
- All payments from Dr. Sana were made directly to Mr. Ganda, as stipulated in their written agreement. Neither I nor my son had received any portion of those funds.
- The loan extended by my son to Dr Sana was documented in a formal agreement, with Dr. Sana committing to repay the amount within two weeks—a promise that remains unfulfilled to date.
- Neither I nor my son had any prior relationship or dealings with Mr. Ganda, nor did we serve as guarantors in the transaction. The agreement was strictly between Dr. Sana and Mr. Ganda, and their respective obligations were plainly stipulated in their written agreement.
- In May 2025, Dr. Sana—through her legal representative—repeated these baseless allegations and my solicitors responded accordingly.
- She also filed a report with the CID, where I submitted a formal statement denying any involvement in fraudulent activity or conspiracy.
- Given the above, I categorically reject any suggestion that my son and I conspired to defraud investors. These accusations are not only false but appear to be part of a deliberate attempt by Dr. Sana to extort further funds from my son—an intent she made clear in a recent threatening text message to him, which I refused to dignify.
Out of consideration for the unfortunate outcome of her transaction, we have refrained from pursuing legal action to recover the unpaid loan. However, should these defamatory claims continue, we will not hesitate to seek full repayment and damages through appropriate legal channels.
I urge the public to disregard any misleading or defamatory statements concerning myself, my family, or my business operations. I have conducted business in Sierra Leone for decades, employing a significant number of staff and upholding the highest standards of fairness and compliance as required by law. Thank you for your attention.
For media inquiries or further information, please contact my solicitors:
Marrah & Associates
2nd Floor, 35 Jones Street, Freetown