By Esther Wright
During a discussion on Radio Democracy, 98.1 aired via the Gud Morning Salone programme, the Deputy Director of Public Education and Outreach at the Anti-Corruption Commission, Abubakarr Turay, stated that over thirty (30) Senior public officials from well over a dozen public institutions, were arrested over the Christmas Season by the country’s Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) in relation to issues contained in the 2020 Auditor General’s Report.
He furthered by disclosing how the arrested public officials spent days and nights in detention during which they were intensely questioned over the Christmas Season, later granted Bail and released after questioning.
Those who were detained, according to him, included senior officials of the Office of the President, Office of the Vice-President, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Basic & Senior Secondary Education, the Ministry of Works & Public Assets, the Ministry of Social Welfare, the National Revenue Authority, the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority, the Petroleum Directorate, the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority, Sierratel the State-owned Telecommunications entity, the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration and the National Minerals Agency are all under an intense and hot investigation as ordered by the Commissioner of the Anti Corruption Commission, Francis Ben Kaifala.
Based on what Abubakarr Turay stated, a total of seventeen institutions are currently being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in relation to the 2020 Audit Report and confirmed that senior management officials from all the 17 public institutions being investigated were indeed questioned over the Christmas Season.
Whilst declining to identify the exact names of those detained, Turay confirmed the names of all the institutions whose officials were questioned and further confirmed that over thirty (30) of those public officials spent nights in detention during such questioning.
Abubakarr Turay said that the over 30 public officers from these institutions have been interviewed since the 2020 Audit Report was tabled in Parliament last month.
It can be recalled that the Commissioner of the ACC Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. told journalists at a press conference held on the 20th December, 2021, that the Commission was launching series of investigations relating to issues outlined in the 2020 Audit Report. Since then, the Commission has sent Notices to persons of interest and set up teams of investigators who worked throughout the Christmas holidays.
According to him, most of those interviewed included the actual Heads of the institutions, their Finance Directors, Accountants and Procurement Officers.
“At the Ministry of Finance, we are investigating issues of procurement and duty waivers granted to 58 non-governmental organisations. At the National Revenue Authority, the Commission is investigating issues of contract for the supply of generator accessory materials and unsigned contract for the supply of seasonal and promotional materials. The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education is being investigated for allegedly flouting procurement procedures and PAYE tax not deducted and paid to the NRA, while the National Minerals Agency is being investigated for the alleged misappropriation of public revenue of up to 15.9 Billion Leones,” he also stated.
The Deputy Director of Public Education and Outreach said, during the course of investigation, some persons of interest had cause to spend nights in custody but were later put on bail. He said the Commission has started robustly and will certainly invite more persons of interest from other institutions named in the 2020 Audit Report. He pledged the Commission’s determination to ensuring that all public institutions named in the 2020 Auditor General’s Report are held accountable.
