By Gibril Gottor
The seeming reckless and unregulated monopoly in the oil sector by a particular oil company in Sierra Leone has apparently blemished the image of an innocent country that deserves nothing but the best.
Sierra Leoneans are wallowing in abject poverty while the Leonco family is swimming in stolen public wealth through profiteering. The pump price of petrol and diesel remains stagnated, thus causing a negative impact on the prices of basic commodities, and at the same time, strangulate the survival of the ordinary Sierra Leonean.
In all of these, the government consistently remains in the firing line for apparently the inadequacies of Leonoil, a company which apparently believes that Sierra Leone is a family inheritance. Leonoil is not doing any favors to Sierra Leoneans. This family-owned oil company is believed to be the architect behind the untold hardship in the country. How can a player be a referee at the same time? Leonoil has monopolized the country’s oil industry, and they are doing wholesale and retail at the same time. “Leonoil dae capu all d ress en evin jug d burn krawo na we han”. Many are suggesting that Sierra Leone should be renamed the Republic of Sierra Cole. This is because they believe that the wealth of the country is apparently owned and controlled by the Coles.
Sierra Leoneans remain thankful for the appearance of ZALA in the petroleum sector of the country. ZALA has cracked into the criminal syndicate of the cowboys, thus exposing the bad deal and criminality that has caused undue suffering for the ordinary Sierra Leonean. ZALA sells a liter of petrol and diesel at Le23 at all the stations, while Leonco sells at Le25, in Freetown and Le27.3 at other stations in the provinces including Kambia, the Southern capital of Bo, among others. The appearance of ZALA in the petroleum industry of Sierra Leone serves as a saving grace for Sierra Leoneans, and has exposed the bad business of Leonco, an oil company which has monopolized Sierra Leone’s oil sector for several decades. ZALA committed no offense by reducing its pump price to Le23.
Following this exposure, the Native Consortium and Research Center is calling on the government to reduce the pump price of fuel from Le27.30 to Le22.7, and this reduction must be reflected on transportation.
To further expose the bad business of Leonoil, almost four years have gone since Jaffar Zeghir took Leonoil to court for failing to supply his over one billion Leones’ worth of petroleum products. Leonoil refused to supply Jaffar’s product, demanding that Jaffar should pay some difference, following an increase in fuel pump prices. This was after Jaffar had paid in full, with receipt and all other documents indicating the execution of a lawful business contract had been issued by Leonoil.
The matter took almost two years in the High Court and later judgement was handed in favor of Jaffar. Prior to the judgement, the High Court ruled that Leonoil pay about three million new leones into a joint Esco account, but the cowboys, who’ve taken a monopoly over the oil industry in Sierra Leone, defied the High Court ruling, depicting blatant disrespect towards the court.
Instead of paying respect to the ruling of the High Court, Leonoil went ahead by filing an appeal against the High Court judgement that came in favor of Jaffar. Almost two years have gone again since Leonoil filed an appeal against the judgement handed down in favor of Jaffar by one of Sierra Leone’s highly acclaimed judges, Justice Samuel S.O. Taylor.
The disregard for the rule of law on the side of Leonoil continued unabated. Recently, the Court of Appeals again ordered Leonoil to lodge about three million new leones into a joint Esco account, the same order given by Justice Samuel S.O Taylor of the High Court, but Leonoil, for the second time, has turned down an order issued by the Appeals Court. Since the order of the Appeals Court, the matter has been in constant adjournment, running to two years now since the appeal was filed by Leonoil.
The court matter between Jaffar and Leonoil has witnessed a few shifts from one Chief Justice to another. As it is now, the same matter is still within the corridors of the judiciary, with another highly reputable character in the country’s judiciary in the person of Justice Kumba Kamanda, now Chief Justice of Sierra Leone’s Judiciary at the elm of affairs. Honorable CJ, Justice Kamanda, being one of the few among a thousand eyed by the Fountain of Honor, His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, to serve in that enviable position, speaks volume. Sir, to whom much is given, much is expected. God doesn’t reward by favor; rather, by merit.
Honorable Justice Kumba Kamanda, the matter between Jaffar vs Leonoil has truly outlived its stay in your domain. We can understand your workload, but your one-minute attention, either by order or clear-cut instruction in that matter, certainly brightens your courtrooms with much more external laurels.