Sierra Leonean Vice President Samuel Sam Sumana said he
sought asylum with the U.S. after President Ernest Bai Koroma sent troops to
his home on Saturday morning.
Sumana said he won’t resign and will go to Parliament and
the courts to retain his post. He spoke by phone from the capital, Freetown,
where he’s in hiding.
“I will not resign, I want to seek justice,” he said. “I
ran out of my house when the soldiers rushed in.”
Sumana is at a location other than the U.S. embassy,
State Department spokesman Darby Holladay said in an e-mail.
“Our embassy in Freetown has been in contact with
relevant officials, and we urge all concerned to resolve the situation through
appropriate procedures that respect due process and the rule of law,” Holladay
said.
Holladay couldn’t say whether the request for asylum is
being considered.
Koroma expelled Sumana from his ruling party earlier this
month for “anti-party” activities, including charges that he lied about his
credentials and background. Sumana has denied the charges. Suman has been in quarantine
in his house since last month, when one of his bodyguards died of Ebola.
Government spokesman Abdulai Bayraytay didn’t immediately
answer calls to his mobile phone. Armed forces spokesman Michael Samura said
he’s not aware of any operation at the vice president’s home.
Sam-Sumana was also accused of falsifying academic
credentials. He denied the allegations - calling them "baseless
fabrications and lies" - and rejected calls for his resignation.
Under Sierra Leone's constitution he cannot be sacked,
but he could be removed through a parliamentary impeachment.
Sumana, 53, has been vice-president since 2007, when he
first stood as Mr Koroma's running mate. President Koroma is now serving his
second and final term.
According to a biography on the presidential website, Mr Sam-Sumana has
spent time studying and working in the US, and is an expert in diamond mining.
He said two weeks ago that he had chosen to be
quarantined to "lead by example" in the battle against Ebola.
More than 3,500 people have died from Ebola in Sierra
Leone, which along with Guinea and Liberia has seen the vast majority of deaths
from the disease.
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