By Kemo Cham
Sierra Leone authorities on Thursday detained a foreign journalist amid suspicion of involvement in alleged espionage.
Sophie Van Leeuwen, a Dutch national, was picked up while reporting somewhere in the capital, Freetown. The Sierra Leone Police confirmed her arrest, saying she was suspected of engaging in filming without the required permit.
Sophie is Africa correspondent at RTL Nieuws. She was detained along the peninsular in the company of a local journalist, according to the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), which urged due process and respect for press freedom in handling the matter.
According to the umbrella journalist body, she claimed she was in possession of a permit from the Ministry of Information, whose weekly government presser she had participated in.
The Police later confirmed that the journalist was interrogated at the Criminal Investigation department and said she had been released.
“Following her compliance with the interrogation, Ms Van Leeuwen was released to continue her work,” the police said in its statement.
This incident comes at the backdrop of a scandal involving the alleged sighting of a convicted drug kingpin of Dutch nationality in Sierra Leone. Jos Leijdekkers, described as one of Europe’s most-wanted fugitives, was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison on 25 June, 2024 by a Rotterdam court for smuggling more than seven tonnes of cocaine, according to reports.
The 33-year-old is believed to have been living in Sierra Leone for about six months when his presence was uncovered. He is alleged to be married to a daughter of President Julius Maada Bio, although other reports have indicated he was already married and had his family in Turkiye.
Following the first report about his presence in Sierra Leone, photos and videos of Leijdekkers in various locations, including with the President himself, flooded social media. In one scene, he is seen sitting in a church beside the president’s daughter, near the president during the Christmas holiday. He has also been seen behind the president during a symbolic farm tour.
Leijdekkers was also spotted in a fight at a night club, in the presence of the country’s Immigration chief.
In spite of all this, the government initially denied knowledge of anyone by that name. But officials later said they had mounted investigation into the matter, after reports that the Dutch authorities had issued an extradition request.
The incident also comes at a time Sierra Leone was battling an image of drug trafficking. Just last months, a vehicle belonging to its diplomatic mission in Guinea was intercepted with seven suitcases of cocaine.
