"Sierra Leone’s Supreme Court did justice to Socfin", 23 Feb 2016

Since 2013, repeated abuses were committed by 6 persons (oil palm damaging) within the SAC plantation, subsidiairy of the Socfin Group, in Sierra Leone. The 6 men who were indicted for the destruction of private property were sentenced to imprisonment and the payment of damages. This court ruling confirms the legal principle of private property protection in this country...Several NGO's maintained that only poor plantation management of the Socfin Group provoked the abuses committed by the 6 accused...Socfin is a major vector for development in the regions where it operates : oil palm and rubber are perennial cultures having a positive impact on the surrounding communities...[T]he operations of Socfin in Sierra Leone are not limited to an agro‐industrial project ; Socfin actively participates in the development of the rural Sahn Malen region : modernisation of the hospital, construction of bridges, improvement of the road network connecting the plantation and the villages to Sierra Leone's second city, improved access of the inhabitants to health care, education...