For Charlatans and losers, who think that the SLPP Government is impervious of our attacks on them for their non-performance and worthless governance, here is this.
24 hours after COCORIOKO attacked the Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Francis Ben Kaifala for his failure to live up to his promise to deal with corrupt individuals in the President’s Office, the Office of the First Lady and ministries, departments and agencies named in the 2020 Audit Report , the ACC responded swiftly by releasing this public statement . But the question is, did it exonerate the ACC ? Did Kaifala prove us wrong that he is letting corrupt officials in the SLPP walk scot-free ?
As usual, you can see that he is going after only small fish. The big fish are still untouched. So our condemnation stands ;
More actions taken by ACC in response to Auditor General’s 2019 and 2020 reports
ACC Media Unit: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 24 March 2022:
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in this second report, wishes to update the general public of the actions and steps it has taken to address critical issues raised in the Audit Reports of Sierra Leone 2019 and 2020. These interventions focused on aspects of possible, or alleged corruption, and conducts inconsistent with the provision(s) in the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008 as amended in 2019.
After a thorough review, and analysis of the aforementioned Reports, the Commission initiated actions; with a view to investigating, prosecuting, or recovering public funds, public revenue, public property, as the case maybe, in accordance with Sections 7, and 48 of the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008 as amended in 2019, respectively.
Below are the second set of issues, and areas of ACC interventions and outcomes:
MAKENI GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL
The 2019 Audit Report highlighted Five queries against the Makeni Government Hospital. They include; Ninety Million Leones (Le90,000,000) paid for fuel that was not supplied; payment of One Hundred and Twelve Million, Six Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Four Hundred Leones (Le112,630,400) contract not fully executed; imprest of Thirty-nine Million, Four Hundred and Sixteen Million Leones (Le 39,416,000) not retired in 2019; payment of Three Hundred and Ninety-eight Million, Forty-seven Thousand, One Hundred and Fifteen Leones (Le398,047,115) without supporting documents; and withholding tax of Seven Million, Nine Hundred and Eighty-eight Thousand, Nine Hundred and Six-one Leones (Le7,988,961) deducted but not paid to the National Revenue Authority (NRA).
After thorough investigation into the said issues, the Commission was able to establish that no act of corruption was committed, as all supporting documents in relation to the queries were presented to ACC Investigators.
FALABA DISTRICT COUNCIL
The 2019 Auditor General’s Report alleged that Council authorities failed to deduct and pay withholding tax to the NRA totaling Thirty-one Million, Seven Hundred and Ninety-Seven Thousand, Six Hundred and Forty-five Leones (Le 31,797,645).
The Report further alleged that the Council failed to account for revenues collected as timer dues to the tune of Eighty-two Million, Six Hundred Thousand Leones (Le82,600,000), paid allowances to absentee councillors to the tune of Forty-three Million, Two Hundred and Seventy thousand Leones (Le43,270,000), and improperly used resources by some devolved sectors to the tune of Eighty-Seven Million, Six Hundred and Eighty Thousand Leones (Le87,680,000).
The Report also claimed that the sum of One Hundred and Forty-two Million, Four Hundred Thousand Leones (Le142,400,000) was revenue collected on receipt books but which the Council failed to account for.
The ACC Investigations however found no evidence that may warrant a prosecution, due to the fact that, documents were produced to account for the said funds.
ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION AND SUPPLY AUTHORITY (EDSA)
The 2020 Audit Report stated that EDSA was given a loan valued at Seven Million United States Dollars (USD $7,000,000), which was a clear liability of EDSA related to a revolving Letter of Credit to enable a steady supply of fuel for the Karpowership.
But relevant documents for this loan were neither submitted to the Auditors nor disclosed in the General-Purpose Financial Statement. Investigations by the ACC however show that, EDSA was not given a loan as mentioned in the Report.
The Investigations show that the Letter of Credit remains a contingent liability yet to be utilized. The ACC also finds that EDSA has so far been fulfilling its financial obligation under the contract. Therefore, this issue will be Kept in View (KIV).
SIERRA LEONE ROADS AUTHORITY (SLRA)
The 2020 Audit Report alleged that SLRA paid untaxed allowances to the tune of One Hundred and Sixty Million, Nine Hundred and Sixty-five Thousand Leones (Le160,965,000) to Board Members between 2016 and 2018.
ACC investigations however showed that there was no direct/indirect fraud of embezzlement of public funds; rather it was negligence on the part of the authorities concerned. Therefore, ACC has recommended for the Management of SLRA to refund the full amount.
SIERRA LEONE MARITIME ADMINISTRATION (SLMA)
The 2020 Auditor General’s Report alleged that on diverse dates between January 2019 and December 2020, SLMA failed to pay into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) the total sum of Eight Hundred and Eighty-eight Thousand, Thirty-five United States Dollars and Twenty-six Cents (USD $$888,035.26). ACC upon concluding investigation finds as follows:
The amount of Eight Hundred and Seventy-two Thousand, Three Hundred and Forty-nine United States Dollars and Sixty-seven Cents (USD $$872,349.67) which was allegedly used to purchase Maritime items/equipment is owed to the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) by the Ship Registration Limited/SLMARAD.
The then Executive Director single-handedly took the decision to utilize the 3rd party money owed to GoSL without the approval of the line Ministry, Board of Directors of SLMA and Ministry of Finance. The ACC has therefore asked him to refund the said USD $872,349.67.
With regards the Fifteen Thousand, Six Hundred and Eighty-five United States Dollars and Fifty-Nine Cents (USD $15,685.59) highlighted in the Audit Report as outstanding payment to be made by SLMARAD, the ACC has asked that the payment is effected and evidence of payment be requested.
The agreement between SLMARAD and GoSL and SLMA is revisited and to go through the Ministry of Justice, Cabinet and/or Parliament for ratification.
The parties to the contract representing GoSL should be hiring external Auditors to audit the activities of SLMARAD every six months to ascertain detailed sales, government shares, number and details of registered vessels, certified seafarers, technical statistics, legal and operational overview.
THE GUMA VALLEY WATER COMPANY
The 2020 Auditor General’s Report highlighted that the total sum of Three Billion, One Hundred and Seventy-three Million, Five Hundred and Twenty-nine Thousand, Six Hundred and One Leones (Le3,173,529,601) were deducted as Pay As You Earn (PAYE) taxes from staff salaries and allowances and not paid to the NRA by the Management of the Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC).
The ACC investigation confirms that, PAYE for the years 31st December, 2018 and 2019 were not paid to the NRA by the Management of GVWC. The Commission therefore instructed the payment of the money due as PAYE to NRA and as of 23rd March, 2022, Five Hundred Million Leones (Le500,000,000) has been paid to NRA.
The remaining amount of Two Billion, Six-hundred and Seventy-three Million, Five Hundred and Twenty- nine Thousand, Six Hundred and One Leones (Le2,673,529,601) still remains as PAYE to be paid to the NRA by the GVWC.
GVWC has however committed to pay same over a period of time.
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THIS WAS WHAT WE WROTE :
SLPP officials responsible for massive embezzlement in 2020 Audit Report still walking free, as Anti- Corruption Commissioner fails to keep his promise to prosecute them
By Kabs Kanu
When the 2020 Audit Report on the Office of the President and ministries, departments and agencies ( MDAs ) in the SLPP government was released in mid- December last year by the Auditor General’s Office, it was a bombshell. The scale of corruption and grand theft by SLPP government officials was unprecedented and frightening.
The audit report was so alarming that the Chairman of theAnti- Corruption Commission ( ACC), Francis Ben Kaifala, immediately summoned a press conference and told local and international media that the ACC had given four days ultimatum to handlers of the state monies misappropriated to give detailed explanation about how the monies were spent or they will spend Christmas in jail.
The EXCLUSIVE newspaper in its Tuesday December 21, 2021 edition, quoted the ACC Commissioner as saying that “As institution, they will be investigating one thousand and twenty issues highlighted in the said 2020 audit report. “ Commissioner Ben Kaifala went further to promise that ministries , departments and agencies ( MDAs ) will be investigated and all those found guilty will face the full force of the law. They…”should be ready to explain to the ACC how certain funds were misappropriated. “
PHOTO : ANTI – CORRUPTION BOSS FRANCIS BEN KAIFALA COZYING TO FIRST LADY FATIMA BIO , ONE OF THE SLPP OFFICIALS HE SHOULD HAVE ARRESTED FOR CORRUPTION
The AWOKO newspaper of the same date, in a front page report headlined : “The Office of the Presidency will be investigated —-ACC Commissioner “ stated that Commissioner Ben Kaifala promised at the said press conference that the Office of the President of Sierra Leone will be investigated independently and “dealt with accordingly by the Anti- Corruption Investigative team. “
Sierra Leoneans who were stunned and annoyed by the Audit report of the millions of dollars embezzled in the Office of the President and the ministries, departments and agencies were thrilled by the promises by the Anti- Corruption Commission, Mr. Francis Ben Kaifala. Corruption in the President Bio New Direction SLPP government is so widespread and a.arming that Sierra Leoneans we’re hopeful that at last justice will be done and the offenders arrested or charged.
But it is now three months since the ACC Commissioner made the promises and there has been no action taken against the nation- wreckers who are enriching themselves filthily at the expense of the nation.
Sierra Leoneans have soon realized that the whole thing is a ruse. No government official ever spent Christmas in jail, despite the millions of dollars of state coffers they have embezzled. Additionally, there has been no further reports from the ACC about any investigations conducted and what explanations the SLPP officials gave for the millions of dollars that disappeared under their watch. The impression Sierra Leoneans now have is that the ACC is not interested in investigating or taking action against any SLPP official involved in grand theft, grand larceny and corruption .
Since the SLPP came to power in 2018, newspapers in Sierra Leone have carried screaming and banner headlines of massive corruption and grand theft at the Offices of the President, Julius Maada Bio, the First Lady FATIMA Bio and government ministries, departments and agencies and the 2019 Audit Report was also a shameful and damning indictment of squandermania within the Bio Paopa government but to this date, the ACC has not acted on most of them. Even when President Bio was accused of forging hotel receipts and passing bad checks, no investigation was ever conducted.
The SLPP Bio government ‘s idea of fighting corruption is only directed towards the former government of the All People’s Congress ( APC ) that was headed by His Excellency Ernest Bai Koroma, which has led to accusations that the Anti- Corruption Commission was involved in witch-hunting and selective justice.
The selective justice stigma that the ACC , under the SLPP, bears is accentuated by the fact that even though SLPP former Foreign Minister and ex- Permanent Representative to the UN, Mr. Allie Kabba, has been implicated in the alleged Sierra Leone UN Chanery renovation case—-the only instance the ACC responded to corruption allegations— Mr. Kabba has not been charged and is walking free while the person in the dock is the former Foreign Minister in the APC government , Dr. Samura Kamara.
“ Francis Ben Kaifala is only engaged in creating smokescreens, “ Mohamed Kamara, a social media commentator wrote recently. “He is not serious about fighting corruption in the SLPP government . “
Many Sierra Leoneans in the social media have been reminding the ACC Commissioner about his promises made in December , but according to another commentator , Alpha Jalloh, “The ACC Commissioner has forgotten completely about his promises. He was only deceiving the nation.Francis Ben Kaifala is only interested in fooling the foolhardy international community , whom he has deceived and has been receiving undeserved awards from them, based on false representation. “:
