Officials sacked in Sierra Leone over land sales
01/06/2009
The lands minister in Sierra Leone has sacked 14 officials as part of a purge on corruption.
Dennis Sandy, who was appointed earlier this year, revealed that the employees had been suspected of selling state lands.
They are alleged to have used fake documents to sell the land to unauthorised parties, the Concord Times reports.
Some of Sierra Leone's most sought-after land is owned by the state and is highly coveted by agricultural and developmental industries.
Huge waiting lists exist to lease the land - which can be rented for up to 99 years.
However, the department is often accused of corruption and Mr Sandy has spoken of the level of unlawful practices that he believes have taken place.
The minister recently told Reuters: "I will do my best to root out corrupt practices in the ministry.
"I will not achieve this 100 per cent, but I want to believe I will reach a point which will be in the interest of every Sierra Leonean."
