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. “:
