Former Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Honourable Sidie Mohamed Tunis, has formally called on Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to investigate what he described as an embarrassing exchange during his recent visa interview at the United States Embassy in Freetown.
Tunis was interviewed at the U.S. Embassy on September 3, 2026, where he said a consular officer questioned him about an individual identified as Chapator Bah, who allegedly obtained a U.S. visa in 2023 using the designation “Executive Assistant to the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament.”
According to Tunis’ complaint to the Ministry, the consular officer informed him that Bah’s alleged failure to return to Sierra Leone after travelling to the United States was linked to the denial of Tunis’ recent visa application.
Tunis, however, strongly denied ever employing, appointing, or being aware of anyone named Chapator Bah serving as his Executive Assistant during his tenure as Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament.
He said the allegation raises serious concerns about the authenticity and origin of the 2023 note verbale reportedly used to facilitate Bah’s visa application, particularly as the document was said to be similar to the note verbale submitted in support of his own visa application.
The former Speaker said the matter has the potential to cause significant reputational damage to him personally, as well as to Sierra Leone and the ECOWAS Parliament.
He has therefore requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to urgently investigate the circumstances surrounding the preparation, issuance and use of the alleged 2023 note verbale and establish whether it was authentic.
Tunis further demanded that the matter be resolved within seven working days of the Ministry receiving his letter.
“If this matter is not resolved within seven working days of receipt of my letter, I will have no alternative but to pursue legal action to defend my name and standing,” he warned.
The former Speaker’s complaint now places the Ministry under pressure to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged visa documentation and determine how an individual he says he does not know could have been presented to U.S. authorities as an official attached to his office.
