EU Suspends Aid To Sierra Leone

The European Commission has suspended €18m in financial aid to Sierra Leone over the country’s refusal to arrest and extradite Dutch national Jos Leijdekkers, according to Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel.

Van Weel said on Thursday that the decision was intended to pressure Sierra Leone to take action against Leijdekkers, a convicted cocaine trafficker who has been in the West African country since at least 2023.

The Netherlands has demanded his extradition, but Sierra Leone has so far refused to cooperate, according to Reuters.

Another €22.5m in EU support promised for next year could also be suspended if Sierra Leone continues to refuse cooperation, Van Weel said.

The European Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the reported suspension.

Leijdekkers, who is also known as “Bolle Jos”, was sentenced in absentia in the Netherlands to 24 years in prison for cocaine trafficking and an attempted liquidation, according to Dutch authorities. He has also received multiple convictions in Belgium carrying a combined sentence of about 100 years.

However, Sierra Leone’s Information Minister Chernor Bah disputed the characterisation of the EU funding decision as a new punitive measure linked to Leijdekkers.

Bah said the country’s delayed 2026 EU budget support was due to procedural issues surrounding an amended financing agreement, adding that disbursements are now proposed for 2027 and 2028.

The Dutch government has previously pushed for the suspension of EU development assistance to Sierra Leone, arguing that the country should not continue receiving EU support while failing to cooperate in efforts to extradite Leijdekkers.