Gambiaj.com – Banjul, The Gambia – A sweeping investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has uncovered that Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Fatima Bio, and close family members have acquired at least ten properties worth over \$2.1 million in The Gambia since President Julius Maada Bio assumed office in 2018—raising serious questions about the origin of the funds used in these purchases.

According to sale records and legal documents reviewed by OCCRP, the properties were acquired between 2020 and 2024, predominantly in some of The Gambia’s most affluent coastal and resort districts. Among them are two high-end villas, an apartment complex, and several residential flats—many reportedly used by Fatima’s close relatives, including her mother and half-brothers.

From Modest Means to Million-Dollar Assets

The investigation reveals that prior to President Bio’s election, Fatima and her family had modest financial profiles with no traceable wealth or business success that could explain the sudden ability to purchase multiple high-value properties.

Between May 2022 and February 2024 alone, Fatima Bio personally acquired a villa, an apartment building, and a flat. Her mother, Tidankay Darboe, became the registered owner of a \$500,000 luxury villa in the exclusive Brufut Heights area, while two of Fatima’s half-brothers, Yusupha and Abdoul Darboe, acquired properties or resumed long-stalled construction on parcels of land that had remained undeveloped for decades.

Social media and registry documents link both Tidankay and Yusupha to Fatima, even though their official property records list no apparent ties to the First Lady. Notably, the \$500,000 Brufut villa under Tidankay’s name is reportedly used by Fatima’s 24-year-old son.

Mysterious Transactions and Key Intermediaries

One name that recurs in several transactions is Alphonso Lakhmee King, a businessman who has held lucrative government contracts in Sierra Leone. King is listed as a signatory or witness on documents for at least three of the properties, including the one owned by Fatima’s mother. He is also shown as having paid the stamp duty tax for that villa.

When contacted by OCCRP, King denied any involvement in the purchases. However, public procurement records show that his company was among Sierra Leone’s top five government contractors in 2019 and still holds contracts with government agencies.

Despite these denials, photos and event coverage show King attending various events with the Bio family, deepening suspicions of a financial link. In a brief phone call with reporters, King distanced himself from both the property deals and his contracting history, abruptly ending the conversation.

Paper Trail Lacking for Declared Income

OCCRP investigators reviewed tax records and public financial disclosures related to Fatima Bio and her family. There is no evidence of the sort of wealth required to fund the purchases. Her half-brother Yusupha, for example, returned from working in the U.S. hospitality industry to establish a real estate firm in The Gambia, which has paid only \$2 in income tax since its founding in 2016.

Meanwhile, her other half-brother, Abdoul Darboe claims to be funding hotel development and luxury property acquisitions through construction income, but corresponding tax records reflect no revenue or declared earnings to match such investments.

The property-buying spree continued well into early 2024. In March 2023, Fatima acquired a two-bedroom apartment in the Forest View estate for \$85,000 and a three-floor villa with a pool in Bijilo for \$81,000. The following February, she bought a four-story apartment building next to the Chinese embassy in Bijilo for \$148,000, followed by a villa for \$44,000—below the value of the land alone from a 2012 sale record.

Silence from the Top

OCCRP said it sent detailed questions to President Bio and the First Lady regarding the funding of these acquisitions but received no response. Under Sierra Leone’s constitution, the President is prohibited from holding positions that generate private income, and there has been no public record of the First Lady holding high-paying positions.

President Bio, who gained power promising to root out corruption after the mismanagement scandals of his predecessor Ernest Koroma, has positioned anti-corruption as a flagship policy. But watchdog groups, including Transparency International, have noted persistent problems with corruption under his leadership, citing poor oversight, weak transparency, and recurring scandals involving public funds.

Fatima Mada Bio’s Defiant Denial

As the report made headlines, Fatima Bio took to Facebook to deny any wrongdoing. “Taking pictures of houses and claiming the ownership without documentation as proof is poor journalism,” she wrote in a post dismissing the OCCRP findings.

However, the OCCRP report is based on verified property records, sales documents, and stamp duty filings, most of which are officially registered with Gambian authorities.

The report has prompted growing calls for accountability both in Sierra Leone and The Gambia. Anti-corruption advocates and civil society leaders have urged authorities to probe the real estate transactions and examine possible misuse of public funds.

“The level of secrecy and the timing of these acquisitions demand answers,” one Gambian transparency advocate said. “You can’t promise to clean up governance at home while your family quietly accumulates beachfront property abroad.”

Whether Sierra Leonean or Gambian authorities will open formal investigations remains to be seen, but the findings have cast a long shadow over President Bio’s credibility as an anti-corruption reformer—both at home and across the region.

The full OCCRP investigation can be accessed here: After Sierra Leone’s President Took Office, His Wife and Her Family Went Real Estate Shopping.