Sierra Leone distances itself from besieged Canadian ex-spy chief

Sierra Leone’s Government has denied any involvement with the beleaguered former head of Canadian security intelligence services who was forced to resign after coming under scrutiny for his business dealings with a controversial lobbyist.

Dr Arthur Porter is a Montreal based physician of a Sierra Leonean descent who was appointed by President Ernest Bai Koroma as Ambassador Plenipotentiary.

But Dr Porter`s involvement in a deal with a notorious international lobbyist, Ari Ben-Menashe became a heated subject of debate last week, resulting into his resignation.
One of the country's newspapers reported that Dr Porter transferred $200,000 in personal funds to Ben-Menashe who acts as an intermediary in negotiations between the Russian Federation and developing countries.

Disappointed

The two had signed in June last year, a consultancy agreement which obliged Ben-Menashe’s private company to secure a $120-million grant from Russia for “infrastructure development in Sierra Leone”. This project was supposed to be managed by Dr Porter’s own company, Africa Infrastructure Group. But the deal never materialised.

Ben-Menashe’s background, which includes a multimillion-dollar consultancy deal with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, made the link with Porter more controversial in Canada.
Amid the tension there, it soon became a subject of the local press in Sierra Leone given Porter`s reported close ties to President Koroma.

“As far as government is concerned, we have nothing that stains us,” said Sheka Trawalie, deputy minister of Information and Communication.
“We do not have any transaction with him,” he stressed at a press conference.

According to the minister, Dr Porter`s appointment by President Koroma was merely “honorific”.

Dr Porter, whose family is also reported to have some stakes in Sierra Leone`s mining sector has since expressed disappointment over “the scurrilous portrayal” of him by the media. He also denied having allowed his other business interests interfere with his responsibilities as Canadian spy boss.