Speaking during a press conference organized by the Anti-Corruption Commission at Cathedral Hall on Gloucester Street in Freetown on 16th April 2019, Francis Ben Kaifala Esq., the Anti-Corruption Boss, said that the best Parliament can tell the Commission is to wait, but it cannot tell them not to investigate the allegations in the recently released Technical Audit Report.
Flanked on both sides on the high table by senior officials of the Commission, the ACC boss said that the role of Parliament is to scrutinize the Audit Report, after which the ACC will take over and investigate all the allegations in the report. He stressed that the Commission was established by an Act of Parliament with specific roles, of which its prime function is to investigate all corruption allegations against all those who deal with public funds (referencing Section 7 of the ACC Act). He went on further to say that the position of the ACC is the same as that of Parliament, that proper scrutiny be made of the document.
Francis Ben Kaifala further explained that the revelations in the Technical Audit Report is shocking to every Sierra Leonean and it is the duty of the Commission after Parliament has finished with it, to investigate thoroughly all the allegations. He recognized that the names of some serving MPs are mentioned in the report, but stressed that the presumption of innocence binds each of them until found guilty by a competent court of law. He warned that anyone that is invited to the ACC to give account in respect of the report should not be judged as guilty, but are only helping the Commission in their investigations.
He further maintained that all those who will be called to give account to the ACC, should come along with all documentary evidence in their possession to substantiate their claims.
The ACC Czar added that the Commission is not at loggerheads with Parliament, but they are collaborating in the matter and will continue to do so until the final investigation is done. The amount of US$1,036 billion, alleged to be unaccounted for, he stressed, is a very huge figure and should not be taken lightly, as it is such unaccounted monies that has plunged the country into the state it is in now.
Sierra Leoneans, he averred, deserve the right to know about the whereabouts of those monies. He assured all present and all Sierra Leoneans that a thorough and forensic investigation will be done to unearth the truth of the report and where necessary prosecution will be instituted and recovery effected.
