An investigation has revealed that senior government officials in Sierra Leone facilitated the construction of scores of illegal luxury mansions within the Western Area Peninsula National Park, a vital environmental buffer for the capital, Freetown. The findings, obtained by the Associated Press and The Gecko Project, were never made public despite being commissioned by President Julius Maada Bio nearly four years ago.
The mansions are located in the Bio Barray neighbourhood, part of which has been built illegally inside the park, which has been proposed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At least 50 houses have been constructed or are under construction on land that was rainforest as recently as 2019. The investigation described deforestation in the park as "an environmental time bomb".
The probe found that officials at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning were aware of the unlawful occupation but were "reluctant to act robustly", while some even facilitated encroachment for personal gain. The then-minister, Denis Sandy, signed at least 175 documents granting land leases to private individuals, a "flagrant violation" of forestry laws. The committee recommended punitive measures against Sandy and 16 other named officials.
Environmentalist and Freetown mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, who plans to challenge President Bio, said the government was "fully aware" and that powerful residents were allowed to ignore the law. The encroachment threatens a reservoir that provides 90% of Freetown's water and increases the risk of landslides, which killed over 1,000 people in 2017.
Bio launched the investigation after a fire near the reservoir in 2022. The committee's 13 members analysed satellite imagery and documents, finding "widespread and indiscriminate clearing of forested areas" despite a construction ban. Maada Kpenge, former managing director of Freetown's water company, warned the deforestation threatened the reservoir's integrity.
