FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, May 22, 2025– The legal dispute between First Lady Dr. Fatima Maada Bio and Octea Limited has broadened significantly, with her legal team now preparing to pursue international litigation against the parent company of Koidu Holdings, citing both human rights violations and defamation.
In a newly issued letter dated 20th May 2025 addressed to corporate authorities in Guernsey, where Octea Limited is registered—First Lady’s legal representatives disclosed plans to initiate two lawsuits: one on behalf of the First Lady for defamation, and another on behalf of several former Sierra Leonean mineworkers citing gross human rights abuses at the Koidu Diamond Mine.
The letter also serves as a formal whistleblower notification aimed at preventing Octea from being struck off the Guernsey companies register, in light of a similar move allegedly filed in the United Kingdom.
The legal team, made up of 13 practicing Sierra Leonean solicitors, detailed severe allegations against the company’s subsidiary, Koidu Holdings. These include claims that local workers were subjected to “inhumane” working conditions, such as being forced to work underground for up to 12 hours without access to clean drinking water or toilet facilities. The letter also references cases involving loss of limbs, long-term exposure to toxic waste, and, in some instances, worker deaths.
Among those represented in the filing are named former employees of Koidu Holdings, including Kandeh Kamara, Sahr Opel Sumana, Aiah Smith, Sahr Mbayoh, Tamba Mayeh, and Osman Bucklin Shaw. The legal team indicated that actions would be filed both in the UK and Guernsey, in addition to proceedings already underway in Sierra Leone.
The move comes in response to Octea’s May 6 legal notice accusing the First Lady of inciting unrest, defaming the company, and triggering the shutdown of its mining operations. Octea claimed financial losses exceeding $16 million and threatened multi-jurisdictional legal action if First Lady did not issue a public apology and cease all further public commentary.
In a previous reply dated May 13, the First Lady’s legal team categorically denied all accusations, characterizing the company’s claims as “deliberately false, defamatory and malicious.” They argued that the First Lady’s intervention in the Koidu protests came only after she was requested to mediate by the company itself, following a series of internal crises. That letter also demanded $50 million in defamation damages and an apology from Octea to be paid to the National Revenue Authority.
Now, with this second letter, Fatima Bio’s legal team has escalated the case to an international human rights issue, invoking Guernsey’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, which applies to the Channel Islands through UK ratification. The letter argues that the scale and nature of the alleged abuses by Octea’s subsidiary provide compelling grounds for Guernsey to prevent the company from being struck off the companies register—an action that could potentially shield it from future litigation.
The letter warns authorities in Guernsey that striking off Octea at this stage would be incompatible with its obligations under international human rights conventions and asks that any future request to dissolve the company be rejected pending the outcome of legal proceedings.
