By Saidu Jalloh | D.S. Reporter
Freetown
Former ECOWAS Parliament Speaker Sidie Mohamed Tunis has denied any links to an alleged visa fraud scheme after he was denied a U.S. visa and told of a 2023 diplomatic note issued in his name on Tuesday, September 9, 2026.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation confirmed on September 5 that it has launched an internal investigation into the misuse of official documents. The probe follows claims that a note verbale from the Ministry was used to secure a U.S. visa for one Chapator Bah, listed as “Executive Assistant to the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament.”
Tunis, SLPP MP for Pujehun District, attended a visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Freetown on September 3, 2026. During the interview, a consular officer informed him that the Ministry had in 2023 requested visas for both Tunis and Bah. The officer added that Bah travelled to the United States under that designation and allegedly did not return — a development the officer linked to Tunis’ own visa denial.
The former Speaker has rejected the claim.
“I never knew him,” Tunis said in a formal complaint to the Ministry, demanding a full investigation into the origin and authenticity of the note verbale.
He warned that if the matter is not resolved within seven working days, he will pursue legal action to clear his name. Copies of his letter were sent to the Speaker of Parliament, Secretary to the President, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Leader of Government Business, Leader of the Opposition, and Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the United States.
The Foreign Ministry said it has set up a committee to review the incident, identify institutional weaknesses, and establish whether official procedures were bypassed. It warned that anyone found culpable will face administrative or legal sanctions.
The U.S. Embassy in Freetown declined to comment, citing policy on individual visa cases. The Ministry stressed that no one has been found guilty and that the investigation will be conducted with transparency and accountability.
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