Keypoints:
- Fatima Bio denies owning Gambian villas
- OCCRP ties her family to $2.1m in assets
- First lady links probe to mining dispute
SIERRA Leone’s First Lady, Fatima Bio, has fiercely rejected claims she secretly amassed a multimillion-dollar property portfolio in The Gambia, calling a recent exposé a calculated smear campaign.
The allegations surfaced in an investigation by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a global network of investigative journalists. Their report linked Bio, along with her mother and two half-brothers, to at least $2.1 million in luxury real estate purchases made after her husband, Julius Maada Bio, assumed office in April 2018.
The properties identified include seaside villas, high-end flats, a four-storey apartment block, and a planned 70-room hotel—all located along The Gambia’s coastline.
First lady accuses OCCRP of bias
Fatima Bio dismissed the OCCRP’s findings on May 16 in a video posted to her official Facebook page, where she accused the journalists of failing to provide adequate time for a fair response.
‘They gave me just 24 hours to answer their questions—what were they expecting? I owe them no explanation,’ she said.
She further claimed the journalists had merely photographed buildings and then falsely attributed them to her without sufficient proof. ‘No amount of blackmail will shut me up,’ she added.
The First Lady, who has Gambian heritage, painted the report as an orchestrated attack designed to undermine her credibility and silence her advocacy.
Mining controversy fuels suspicions
In her online statement, Bio drew a connection between the OCCRP investigation and a dispute she is currently engaged in with Koidu Limited, the operator of Sierra Leone’s largest diamond mine.
She participated in a workers’ protest against the company in March, advocating for better conditions. In May, Octea Limited—the parent company of Koidu Limited—served her with a legal notice accusing her of making ‘unlawful, defamatory, and malicious’ remarks that interfered with operations. The firm is seeking $20 million in damages.
According to Bio, the journalist behind the OCCRP report was ‘sent’ by Koidu Limited, implying the probe is retaliation for her public criticism of the mining giant.
OCCRP defends credibility of report
OCCRP has defended the integrity of its reporting, which draws on property records, legal documents, and financial data compiled over months.
While Sierra Leonean authorities have not publicly responded to the claims, the story has stirred fresh concerns about accountability and transparency within the country’s leadership.
Fatima Bio remains defiant, maintaining her focus on social causes while denying any wrongdoing in connection with the luxury real estate deals.
