Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Alhaji Timothy Musa Kabba, has denied reports suggesting that a man arrested in Turkey for drug-related offenses was carrying a Sierra Leonean diplomatic passport.

Speaking on a television program, Minister Kabba said there has been no official communication from Turkish authorities confirming that the individual holds a Sierra Leonean diplomatic or ordinary passport.

“As of now, we have not received any diplomatic notice indicating that the suspect in Turkey has any form of Sierra Leonean passport,” Kabba explained.

He further stated that if the person were truly a Sierra Leonean citizen, the Turkish government would have informed Freetown through official diplomatic channels. Since no such communication has been received, Kabba emphasized that his ministry cannot accept such claims without evidence.

“They were not arrested as Sierra Leoneans; otherwise, we would have received a formal notification from Turkey,” he said. “Given the sensitivity of this matter under the UN Convention on Transnational Crime, we will only act on verified information.”

The minister added that diplomatic passports can easily be traced through their serial numbers and issuance records. If any proof emerges that Sierra Leonean passports were involved, an internal investigation would be launched to uncover any irregularities.

“If it turns out that Sierra Leonean diplomatic passports were used, we will trace their origin and find out what went wrong,” he assured.

Kabba concluded by saying that his office will fully verify any credible evidence once it is officially presented.