MONROVIA – Concerns are mounting into reports about the continued use of the name of Liberian President George Weah by one Ousmane Bamba to lure investors and allegedly dupe them.
Ousmane Bamba is an Ivorian Businessman said to be a close friend of the Liberian leader. He has claimed to be an advisor of President Weah and is allegedly carrying an official passport of Liberia.
Bamba is accused of continuously using the name of the Liberian leader to allegedly trick investors with the aim of duping them.
Candy Group International is one of the victims of Ousmane Bamba. According to documents in the possession of Smart News Liberia, a business deal worth over 500,000 Euros was consummated in the flashy offices of Mr. Bamba in the Ivory Coast between Candy Group International and a Liberian mining firm-Hamak Gold Mining.
Candy Group International officials say one Amara Kamara said to be the head of Hamak Gold was introduced to the investors by Mr. Ousmane Bamba as a junior brother of President Weah and owner of Hamak Gold for which CGI agreed to strike a joint venture deal with Hamak mining to invest in gold claims in Liberia.
The investors say a 2 million euros transferred to Hamak’s account at GTBank has since not been accounted for. It said Amara Kamara, the purported Weah brother, and GTBank continued to deny receipt of the money and that Bamba has not been able to intervene in the case. They say, the Central Bank of Liberia has also refused to investigate the transfer; making it appear as if it is an organized scheme to dupe them of their money.
President George Weah has not publicly said he appointed Bamba as his advisor, according to an investigation by the African Journal, Bamba in one of his social media profiles says he works for the Government of Liberia, lives in Monrovia, and is from Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
Photos displayed on social media revealed Mr. Bamba has made several international trips with President George Weah on his official visits. One of them was in Paris France, where he and Weah met with French President Emmanuel Macron and another was in the Middle East.
West African Journal Magazine has been looking into the Ivorian businessman’s past in his native Côte d’Ivoire.
The magazine reported that in 2016, Ousmane Bamba, who is a member of the ruling Rally of the Republicans (RDR), a political party of President Alassane Dramane Ouattara, tried to challenge the establishment when he contested a legislative seat as an independent to represent Lomokankro, Molonou, Tiébissou and Yakpabo-Sakasou political districts.
He is said to be a former Mayor of Tiebissou and a party Secretary of that area but was suspended after he made his independent bid for the Ivorian Legislature in December 2016.
The magazine said his known desire to settle some past political and economic scores against “perceived enemies” in the ruling establishment allegedly sank his chances to become a legislator. Continue reading for more on this story later.
