BREAKING NEWS🔻
🇸🇱The Auditor General of Sierra Leone- Ms. Lara Taylor-Pearce has just stated on Radio Democracy 98.1 FM that the amount of One Billion Dollars said to have been stolen by the past APC Government is untrue as that amount is not even in her report.
This comes as a huge blow to the SLPP Government especially the Finance Minister, J.J Saffa and Financial Secretary- Sahr Jusu who strenuously want to create the false impression that such a huge sum was chopped by officials of the past regime.
🔴Finally, the truth is out and no one can fool the people of Sierra Leone.
In the wake of the ‘Technical Audit’ released by the Bio Administration last week, this column questioned the professional conduct of JJ Siaffa, the Minister of Finance. Furthermore, in supplemental submissions, we also informed readers that the $1.6Billion Mr. Siaffa, reported as stolen by the EBK Administration over a three year period, were flat out lies – We reported that the Bio Administration was engaged in a calculated bid to mislead the public in a sinister plot to divert voters attention from the cataclysmic failure of this government, celebrating its one year milestone in office.
At the press conference last week, JJ Siaffa also provided a summary of embezzled funds and demanded a refund, to Treasury, within 30days. These charges were relayed to the BBC by Umaru Fofanah with his usual embellishments –
casting the nation in very horrific terms to the outside world!
It happens that the Auditor General of Salone, Mrs. Lara Taylor-Pearce (author of the original Audit), was interviewed today at 98.1FM. She flat out denied the claims of $1.6Billion by JJ Siaffa. She said that she was nowhere close to the Press Conference and don’t even know the source of the spreadsheet circulating on social media, with allegations of theft from the MDAs under review. We also learnt from the 98.1 interview, that JJ Siaffa had no authority to demand pay back to Treasury – that responsibility rests squarely with Parliament. Public disclosure of the report was also improper.
The credibility of this government is seriously in doubt. We drew voters attention and sounded the alarms during the release of the ‘Government Transition Report’ and in repeated claims by the President that he inherited the worse economy since Independence. We continue to call on this government to abandon the campaign trail and turn to governance – there is an urgent need for President Bio to abandon Tribal politics and unify this nation. This is indeed a sad day for the nation – To note that we’ve all been sold a bill of goods that JJ Siaffa himself may find hard to stomach.
We are vindicated, once again and we take this opportunity to thank Mrs Taylor-Pearce for her candor and high degree of professionalism. We await Umaru Fofanah to see if he would retract his false report; and whether Parliament would call for the ouster of JJ Siaffa from office.
Editorial Page
Kongosa Box
4/10/19
