SLFA Presidential Aspirant Challenges Allegations of Forged Police Clearance

The Legal representatives for Madam Aminata Bangura, a presidential aspirant in the forthcoming Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) elections, have challenged what they describe as an “adverse and unsubstantiated finding” by the SLFA Ethics Committee regarding an allegation of document forgery.

In a letter addressed to the Committee and copied to both CAF and FIFA, law firm Marrah & Associates stated that Madam Bangura has been accused of submitting a forged police clearance certificate dated 10^th June 2025, a document required as part of her candidacy.

According to the letter, Madam Bangura received the said police clearance in good faith, having obtained it from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and signed by the Head of CID.

However, during a hearing before the Ethics Committee on 12^th July 2025, she was confronted with a letter rescinding the clearance reportedly signed by the same CID official who issued it.

The lawyers contend that Madam Bangura had never been formally notified of the decision prior to the hearing and argued that there is no evidence she forged the certificate or tampered with the CID’s signature. “If anything,” the letter asserts, “any administrative lapses antecedent to the issuance of the certificate should be imputed to the management of the police and not our client.”

The legal team further noted that Madam Bangura has since reapplied for a new police clearance, with confirmation from the police that the new certificate will be issued within 72 hours. A copy of the receipt confirming the application was attached to the legal correspondence.

Referencing the SLFA’s integrity check guidelines, particularly Paragraph 4 of Part 1, Annex A, the lawyers argued that no criminal conviction or disciplinary sanction has ever been levied against Madam Bangura by any judicial or sporting body, which is a requirement for failing the integrity test. They therefore challenged the basis of the Committee’s finding, suggesting that such an allegation, absent due process or a legal finding, not only undermines the integrity of the process but also jeopardizes Madam Bangura’s professional and personal reputation both locally and internationally.

They warned that any implication of fraudulent conduct without a prosecutorial conclusion could lead to legal action, including defamation claims, and that their client reserves the right to escalate the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“This letter serves to inform the relevant stakeholders of CAF and FIFA about the actions of the Ethics Committee and notifies them of forthcoming appellate proceedings regarding the Committee’s findings,” the legal team wrote.

In his response to the issues raised by Madam Bangura, the Chairman of the SLFA Ethics Committee, Abu Bakarr Sheriff Esq, said that the issues raised, as far as he knows, are not to his knowledge and that the Committee is yet to make any decision.