In late 2023, a shadowy property deal exposed the disturbing ease with which Sierra Leone has become a haven for international fugitives and their collaborators. At the heart of it stands Dutch drug fugitive Leijdekkers, wanted across Europe, and Lebanese businessman Hassan Salman, a well-known car dealer in Freetown, who allegedly acted as his local enabler.
Investigations reveal that Salman fronted the acquisition of Two Seasons Resort, a secluded luxury beach property in Tokeh, 20 miles down the Freetown Peninsula. Though the resort was previously owned by businessman Rami El Zein, sources maintain that Salman merely served as the financial conduit, securing the multimillion-dollar property on behalf of the Dutch criminal. Following the sale, the property underwent lavish renovations, raising fresh suspicions about the source of the sudden influx of cash.
El Zein admitted selling the property to Salman but evaded questions about any role linking him to Leijdekkers. Multiple sources, however, insist that Salman’s deep pockets were instrumental in planting the fugitive firmly on Sierra Leonean soil.
Once settled in Tokeh, Leijdekkers wasted no time establishing himself as a local kingpin cloaked in philanthropy. According to an insider who worked for him, “He was really helpful. He sent so many bags of rice, gallons of cooking oil and onions.” But the charity was a smokescreen. The source added chillingly: “Ministers visited him every day. Do you know how much money he handed them when they came?”
Meanwhile, in Freetown, Leijdekkers operated from the shadows, running an office from a private compound near Lumley Beach Road — the city’s bustling entertainment strip. Photographs obtained by New Lines confirm his casual movements there, dressed down in sandals and a rain jacket, while discreetly building networks of influence.
The scandalous partnership between Salman — providing financial cover — and Leijdekkers — buying political protection with cash and favors — underscores a system rotten with complicity. It raises serious questions: how did a notorious European fugitive openly build a power base in Sierra Leone, complete with government contacts, without the slightest intervention from law enforcement?
