David Kpakima, the Group Chief Operating Officer of Rasab Group, has issued a forceful denial of a report published today by the Global Times, which claimed he had been suspended over allegations of fraud and embezzlement. In a detailed statement, Kpakima labeled the article “grossly incorrect,” “deliberately false,” and a retaliatory smear tactic.
The Global Times article alleged that Davar Fazaeli, Group Chairman and CEO of the parent Rasab Group, had suspended Kpakima with immediate effect pending an internal review into “operational and financial matters,” accusing him of “monumental mismanagement, fraud and embezzlement.”
Kpakima categorically rejected these claims, asserting that no legitimate suspension occurred. “Proper procedure requires that any suspension should be approved or sanctioned by the board of directors. This did not occur in my case,” he stated, revealing that the Chairman’s actions are already the subject of ongoing litigation in the High Court of Sierra Leone.
Central to Kpakima’s rebuttal is the claim that the damaging report is a direct response to his own recent legal actions. He frames the newspaper’s allegations as an attempt to “overshadow my recent request for a comprehensive audit of the companies I jointly own with Mr. Fazaeli.”
“It is self-evident that a person accused of fraud and embezzlement would not be the first to request the conduct of a forensic audit as has been done in court documents filed,” Kpakima argued, positioning himself as the party seeking financial transparency.
Kpakima detailed his longstanding partnership with Fazaeli since 2019, describing a collaborative effort to build multiple ventures “from their inception into significant contributors to Sierra Leone’s economic growth.” He expressed pride in operationalizing these visions and driving expansion, emphasizing his dedication to national economic transformation.
“I would not steal from business ventures which I co-own and have built from the ground up; nor from the companies upon which over 300 of my fellow compatriots Sierra Leoneans rely on for their livelihoods,” he stated.
The executive accused the Global Times publication of being “intended only to deflect attention from the legitimate demands I have made to my partner” and to pressure him into withdrawing his legal claims. He confirmed he is seeking legal advice regarding the newspaper article itself.
Kpakima concluded by urging the public to disregard the report as “false and baseless,” promising that the truth would emerge through the legal process. “Once the matter has been resolved in court, the public would be apprised of its outcome,” he said.
Attempts to reach the Rasab Group or Chairman Davar Fazaeli for comment on Kpakima’s statement were unsuccessful at the time of this publication. The Global Times has not yet publicly responded to the allegations of publishing a false and misleading report.
