Honourable Alpha Khan has responded to the recent ban imposed by the United States government on Sierra Leoneans accused of interfering in the country's multi-tiered election approximately two months ago.
During an interview with AYV, the former government minister clarified that US laws exempt government officials from this ban. He explained, "As per the United States Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, government-serving officials are permitted to travel to the United States. This provision was explicitly mentioned in the statement issued by the Secretary of State."
Furthermore, he emphasized, "According to this section, if the United States is applying this law to an alien (foreigner), it does not apply to anyone who holds an official position in a foreign government and the Sierra Leone government is considered a foreign government. Therefore, this law does not apply to them."
Alpha Khan also clarified that the law does not apply to individuals running for office in foreign countries and reiterated that it does not affect serving members of foreign governments. He went on to say, "The law even excludes military government officials."
Last week, the US government announced a travel ban against individuals suspected of interfering in Sierra Leone's June 24 elections. The US Department of State stated that family members of suspected individuals would also be affected by the ban. The United States has consistently expressed concerns about the transparency of Sierra Leone's election process.