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Minister suspended for illicit diamond deals

    ABIDJAN

    President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah announced on Tuesday the suspension from office of Sierra Leone's Minister for Transport and Commmunications, Momoh Pujeh, news organisations reported.

    The presidential statement said that Pujeh would be relieved of his ministerial duties until the Anti-Corruption Commisssion (ACC) had concluded its investigations into allegations that he was involved in the illegal mining and smuggling of diamonds. Sierra Leone police and ACC personnel arrested Pujeh and his wife last week after a raid on their house allegedly uncovered a cache of diamonds, PANA and BBC reported.

    Some local newspapers are alleging that the former minister is a victim of internal party politics, BBC reported. They say that Pujeh, a strong member of the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), is a potential threat to Kabbah's re-election as SLPP candidate in presidential elections slated for May 2002. However a government aide said that Kabbah's action was proof of his commitment to fight corruption both within the government and outside, BBC reported.

    Despite a government ban, illegal diamond mining activities by former combatants and others continue in eastern Sierra Leone.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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