"Socfin Boss Resigns", 5 July 2016

The Country Director of Socfin Agricultural Company (SL) Limited, Gerben Haringsma...tendered in his letter of resignation to the Board of Directors of the company in Brussels, Belgium...In an exclusive interview with the Global Times...Mr. Haringsma said that, he was extremely pissed-off by NGOs’ allegations that, his company was engaged in land grabbing, slavery and forced labor in the Malen Chiefdom...[He] noted that, the government has surrendered its authority to NGOs. “The NGOs are destroying this country…No serious investor in the agribusiness sector will come to Sierra Leone again…The government has allowed NGOs (like Green Scenery and FIAN-Belgium) to give the country a bad name…I hope that in the long run the government will review the NGO policy and make it more responsible”.

[As related background, NGOs wrote a letter to Sierra Leone President, see the letter here; referring to background of the case here and Socfin's response to the letter is here]