Sierra Leoneans were left in stunned disbelief today when it was revealed that President Maada Bio has suspended Auditor General Lara Taylor Pearce indefinitely.
The relations between President Bio’s government and the Auditor General have very hostile after she released very damaging audit reports on the government’s handling of the nation’s finances which exposed corruption and graft at an unprecedented scale . However, nobody in their waking moments was expecting that President Bio would have been so bold to removed a tenured officer—a deed forbidden by the constitution .
Section 119 (6) of the 1991 Constitution stipulates that :
“In the exercise of his function under this Constitution or any other law, the Auditor General shall not be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority.
However, since he came to power in 2018, President Bio has shown no respect for the constitution or the Rule of Law and has acted only according to the dictates of his nebulous and totalitarian mentality. He has ordered the Auditor General to face a tribunal, but most Sierra Leoneans know that President Bio has taken the action to block release of the 2020 Audit Report which would have been more damaging than ever to the President and his corrupt government.
As soon as the news came out, President Bio was roundly condemned by citizens on social media, civil society and governance institutions.
In a statement questioning the president’s dictatorial action, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists ( SLAJ) said that : “While we wait for the outcome of the tribunal, which we expect in the shortest possible time, we regret that considering the recent impressive statistics on control of corruption in the just-released MCC Scorecard, this government can by this action seek to overturn all those gains in less than 24 hours.”
SLAJ went on to say : “SLAJ is concerned that given the severe economic constraints facing most citizens, decisions are being taken that are creating undue disaffection, confusion, and distrust. We urge the government to maintain the independence and integrity of our institutions and continue to give hope to the people of Sierra Leone.”
The Institute for Governance also questioned President Bio’s action , and said that “We find it particularly difficult to understand this decision …: .
Mrs. Basita Michael, the former President of the Sierra Leone Bar Association and Founder & Governing Officer Institute for Legal Research & Advocacy for Justice at Institute for Legal Research and Advocacy for Justice (ILRAJ)ridiculed the government : “For all the boast yesterday of us scoring 63 % under the rule of law on the MCC score card it’s rather intriguing to learn today of another blatant assault on the rule of law exhibited in the indefinite suspension of the Auditor General.Where are we heading?“
Ambassador Osman Foday Yansaneh, the Secretary General of the opposition All People’s Congress , made the following tweet :
Another opposition leader, Dr. Kanden Yumkella of the National Grand Coalition ( NGC) made this tweet:
