THE BLUEPRINT OF A CRIME:

Exposing the Criminal Cartel Behind Forged Land Plans and the Hidden Networks

By Mahmud Tim Kargbo

Monday, 8 December 2025

For years, Sierra Leoneans have heard warnings about an underground industry that has quietly rewritten land ownership in the Western Area. Now, for the first time, the evidence begins to emerge from the shadows. This second feature releases the first publicly available set of redacted forged land plans, each accompanied by forensic annotations that reveal how the cartel constructs documents, bypasses verification systems and systematically undermines the state.

The plans released here represent only a fraction of an expanding archive. Each document has been checked against the Ministry’s master register, examined by licensed surveyors and reviewed by legal specialists. All personal names, specific addresses, phone numbers and identifying details have been redacted to protect victims and to preserve the integrity of potential inquiries.

This publication marks the first public step in exposing a machinery of fraud that has operated in silence for more than a decade.

THE PURPOSE OF PUBLICATION

The objectives of releasing these documents are:

• to empower the public with factual evidence of document manipulation
• to illustrate how forged plans imitate official formats
• to show patterns linking recurring forgers, typists and insiders
• to support victims who unknowingly purchased land using fraudulent paperwork
• to encourage institutions to intensify formal investigations already contemplated

This feature does not assign guilt. It presents evidence and explains its implications.

THE FIRST REDACTED SAMPLE: PLAN A

A 1017.8809 acre plan at Nyagba Town, Malambay Area, Waterloo. Licence Surveyor number presented: LS/25.

Key forensic findings

• The coordinates correspond to points located in open sea.
• The stamp shows pixelation consistent with digital reproduction rather than physical application.
• The signature block is identical to blocks appearing in three unrelated plans dated 2018, 2021 and 2024.
• The scale measurement matches a format used exclusively in the Kambia District during the 1990s.

This document was included in a sales package presented to different prospective buyers, all of whom believed the alleged land owner possessed an officially registered private plan. In reality, the document mimicked both the Director of Surveys and Lands signature and the Licence Surveyor signature. This misrepresentation reflects a broader pattern in which cartels market not only state land as privately held plots but also privately owned lands belonging to vulnerable citizens across the Western Area.

THE SECOND REDACTED SAMPLE: PLAN B

A 135.3583 acre plan at Peninsula Circle Road, Sussex. Licence Surveyor number presented: LS/23.

Key forensic findings

• Boundary lines were traced from an old road construction layout stored in a Ministry archive, indicating insider access.
• The watermark paper used for the plan was discontinued in 2017.
• The land size differs from the area defined by its coordinates, indicating a pasted or reconstructed layout.
• The Director of Surveys signature appears in variance with the former Director’s authentic signature.

This document was used to obtain an injunction that temporarily halted a government project.

THE THIRD REDACTED SAMPLE: PLAN C

A 113.8421 acre plan at York Road, Hamilton. Licence Surveyor number presented: LS/19.

Key forensic findings

• The forged Director of Surveys date precedes the date attributed to the Licence Surveyor, an impossible administrative sequence.
• The coordinate formatting styles are inconsistent, revealing multiple contributors to the document.
• The stamp number also appears on other forged documents circulating in the Aberdeen area.

This plan was used to sell plots that legally belong to the state.

THE FOURTH REDACTED SAMPLE: PLAN D

A 105.2131 acre plan off Peninsula Road, Tokeh. Licence Surveyor number presented: LS/24.

Key forensic findings

• The plot outline was lifted from a cadastral training sheet distributed to interns.
• The font matches a known print shop associated with the production of forged academic certificates.
• The counter signature belongs to a former staff member previously dismissed for document tampering.
• The layout cites a zoning code that does not exist within the Western Area.
• The signatures of the Honourable Minister of Lands and the Director of Surveys were forged.

This plan has been used repeatedly in offer letters distributed by middlemen operating in central Freetown.

THE SIGNATURE NETWORK MAP

Analysis across the first thirty two forged plans reveals a pattern of remarkable consistency. Several signatures, originating from at least three individuals, recur across different years, different governments and multiple zones within the Western Area.

Key observations

• one signature appears in nineteen separate forged plans
• another appears in seven plans produced after the individual’s formal retirement
• a third appears alongside identical typist markings indicating use of the same print shop

The consistency of these patterns demonstrates that the forgeries are not isolated incidents. They are the work of stable, well organised networks with continuing access to internal resources and historic archives.

THE TYPOGRAPHY AND PRINT SHOPS

Document typography offers another critical stream of forensic evidence.

Examination revealed

• one print shop responsible for at least fourteen forged plans
• a distinctive font style used exclusively in counterfeit documents
• a watermark pattern identical across plans attributed to different surveyors
• repeated use of a Ministry logo discontinued years ago
• repeated imitation of upgraded Ministry logos introduced to prevent previous abuses

These findings confirm that forgery operations are centralised and coordinated rather than dispersed.

THE INJUNCTION TIMELINE: HOW THE CARTEL FREEZES THE STATE

One of the cartel’s most damaging methods is the strategic deployment of injunctions.

The timeline typically unfolds as follows

• forged plans are used to produce competing ownership claims
• syndicate actors rush to court and secure injunctions
• the injunction freezes the Ministry’s enforcement powers
• during the freeze period, land is subdivided, sold or built upon
• by the time the injunction is lifted, the development is irreversible

This tactic has cost the state substantial parcels of land, including areas intended for schools, health facilities and affordable housing.

ADMINISTRATIVE INTERVENTIONS: WHERE THE SYSTEM FAILS

The investigation identified recurring administrative breakdowns:

• files missing during crucial verification processes
• internal memos that cannot be traced to official registries
• altered register pages lacking initials or dates
• outgoing letters that do not appear in Ministry correspondence logs

These flaws create openings that sophisticated syndicates exploit with precision.

RIGHT TO REPLY

Institutions referenced in connection with forged documents have been contacted. Several have confirmed internal reviews. Others have not responded. All verified responses will be published in full.

Individuals whose signatures appear on suspected forged documents have also been invited to comment. Their replies, or their silence, will be documented in a public dossier.

WHAT COMES NEXT

The third publication will release:

• profiles of the document syndicates believed to be operating within the Western Area
• evidence linking forged plans to specific seized or disputed state parcels
• victim testimonies
• analysis of how foreign actors use forged documents to enter the land market

This investigation remains active, expanding with every new set of documents.

If you possess relevant land plans, court filings, offer letters or internal correspondences, you may submit them confidentially. Every submission will be handled with care and protected in accordance with legal standards.