Socfin Boss Resigns

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Socfin Boss Resigns

The Country Director of Socfin Agricultural Company (SL) Limited, Gerben Haringsma yesterday tendered in his letter of resignation to the Board of Directors of the company in Brussels, Belgium.

In an exclusive interview with the Global Times in Freetown on Sunday, Mr. Haringsma said that, he was extremely pissed-off by NGOs’ allegations that, his company was engaged in land grabbing, slavery and forced labor in the Malen Chiefdom in Pujehun district. “I find such allegations extremely hurtful and embarrassing”, he told the Global Times on Sunday.

“I refuse to be called a criminal…I am not a criminal…I felt so embarrassed when my grand children asked me why, I was being referred to as a criminal by some so-called NGOs…I am an investor that has invested almost US$140m (One hundred and forty million dollars) and I have employed about four thousand Sierra Leoneans. How can such a man be called a criminal? He asked.

Mr. Haringsma confirmed that, his General Manager, Philip Tonks will stay and oversee the operations of the company. “Socfin will not close down…I have decided to leave because I cannot afford to be called a criminal…I am a rich man by all standards…I am a major shareholder in the company…My shares will remain but I have to leave the post of Country Director because I am not a criminal”, Mr. Haringsma said.

The former Country Director noted that, the government has surrendered its authority to NGOs. “The NGOs are destroying this country…No serious investor in the agribusiness sector will come to Sierra Leone again…The government has allowed NGOs (like Green Scenery and FIAN-Belgium) to give the country a bad name…No European bank is willing to give out loans to investors to come and invest in the agribusiness sector again because NGOs have painted a gloomy picture of the country…It is up to the Government to stop foreign NGOs from toying with the future development of the country ”, Mr. Haringsma said.

He continued, “I had almost secured a US$75m loan from ICF for the extension of my project in the Malen Chiefdom when the NGOs wrote to the bank, claiming that, they were funding slavery and forced labor in Africa…The loan had to be put on hold…There is no new money forthcoming because NGOs have continued to blackmail every investor that intends to come to Sierra Leone”.

The former Socfin Country Director said, “I love Sierra Leone and the people of Sierra Leone….I will ensure that Socfin does the right thing in this country…But I am stepping down from my role as Country Director…I don’t want to die of heart attack”.

Mr. Haringsma said that, he was the only successful investor in the country at the moment. “I have given up my battle for Sierra Leone and I am no longer going to fight for this country as it is useless to convince investors to come to the country and the following day they are being chased out by NGOs…Let the NGOs govern the country now…I cannot continue to fight with NGOs all the time without government support…The government has allowed NGOs a lot of space to destroy foreign investments…In the long run, this country is going to depend wholly and solely on handouts from donors….When investors leave, there will be a massive capital flight, which will add to the massive unemployment in the country ,” he predicted.

Mr. Haringsma concluded by saying that, “I have made lots of friends in Sierra Leone…I wish to maintain some of those relationships…I hope that in the long run the government will review the NGO policy and make it more responsible”.

A report by a representative of IMC clearly points to the fact that the company has invested heavily in its Corporate Social Responsibility.

He left Freetown on Sunday July 3 for Brussels.

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