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Stats SL & DSTI Ends Training For Enumerators and Supervisors

By Foday Moriba Conteh

A four-day training session for 100 participants on the Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge End Line Survey for both Enumerators and Supervisors  conducted by Stats-SL and the  Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) commenced on Wednesday 13th January 2021. The training programme took place at the Stats SL headquarters on AJ Momoh Street in Freetown.

The Chairman of the event, Samuel Ansumana, who also doubles as the Director of Communications and Public Relations at Stats SL welcomed participants and also introduced dignitaries of Stats SL followed by individual introductions.

In his keynote address, Deputy Statistician General, Andrew Bob Johnny, reiterated that a baseline survey was done a year ago. He commended participants for the good work they have been doing in data collection as many have vast experience in such surveys and therefore pleaded with them to use the knowledge gained to collect the required data.

He appealed to participants to be very attentive during the training as a competence based screening exercise will be conducted on completion of the program to have  trainees who will work as both enumerators and supervisors. He went on to formally declare the training open.

Giving an overview of the survey, Communications Lead at DSTI, Mariama Mansaray-Rogers said that the survey is to collect data from selected schools spanning from class 1 to class 6.

She averred that the purpose of the survey is to measure progress made by pupils in 340 selected schools in the country furthering that DSTI is in partnership with other institutions like Statistics Sierra Leone, World Vision and Rising Academy to name a few on the aforementioned survey.

The session progressed with participants divided into two groups with the first 50 trained on Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th while they second batch was trained on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th January 2021.

Meanwhile, a presentation on how to use the software was done by the Operations and Research Manager at DSTI, Benjamin Davies.

Installation and trial of the software by participants climaxed the session

APC Set to Hold Conventions & National Delegates Conference in Six Months

By Foday Moriba Conteh

In a Press Release, dated 14th January 2021, issued out by the All People’s Congress (APC) Party and signed by Amb. Dr Alhaji Osman Foday Yansaneh, the  National Secretary General of the APC, it was stated that whereas the mandate given to the Leadership of the APC Party at the National Delegates Conference (NDC) in Makeni in October 2017 ended in October 2020 and whereas pursuant to Article 6.10.11.1 of the 5th December 1995 APC Constitution, Conventions and National Delegates Conference of the Party were rescheduled to commence between 16th January to 21st February 2021.

However cognizant of the extenuating circumstances which are posing challenges for the holding of conventions leading to the National Delegates Conference, which include the COVID-19 Pandemic and the State of Public Health Emergency, Notice is hereby given by the National Advisory Committee (NAC) that pursuant to Article 6.10.11.1 of the 5th December 1995 APC Constitution, Conventions and National Delegates Conference of the Party are rescheduled to hold within the next six months (180 days) with effect from 15th January, 2021 to 15th July, 2021.

Again it was enshrined in the Press Release that the aforementioned period shall consider the commencement of the following activities of the Party: Firstly, an Emergency National Delegates Conference for the adoption of the new draft constitution by which time it is hoped the court matter would have been withdrawn as per a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) signed and witnessed between the NRM and the Party.

Additionally, it was maintained that the new constitution, when approved by the NDC, would be popularized to enable the party to hold Conventions and National Delegates Conference under the said new constitution.

Furthermore, that NAC shall communicate the specific time line of events including dates for the election of the National officers and the Presidential Candidate of the Party and endorse the Running mate in due course.

Finally, that NAC hereby further directs that the current Executives at all levels from Constituency to the National would remain in place and that all existing Party Leadership shall continue in office until the Conventions and or National Delegates Conference are held.

It was highlighted that already the Political Parties Registration Commission has been informed accordingly.

Concord Times Cries Foul Over Alleged Skye Bank’s Financial Impropriety

By Amin Kef Sesay

The Concord Times, in some of its recent publications, categorically alleged that several newspaper outlets have fallen prey to some fraudulent activities taking place within the precinct of Skye Bank under the watch of the Management of the bank.

It also pointed out that while other banks are maintaining high ethical standards in terms of banking procedures, Skye Bank is neck-deep into encouraging fraudsters that are bent on defrauding newspaper outlets of their meagre resources.

The Concord Times claims that an account in the name of a certain Indian Businessman, Rakesh Sham Tahiramani, was established at the bank where cheques payable to Concord Times, were fraudulently deposited.

The media outlet stated that documentary evidences in the possession of Concord Times revealed how the bank is being used as a safe haven for a certain criminal cartel, whose job is to defraud newspaper outlets to the extent of rendering them bankrupt.

It added that while it has no dealings with the bank, evidences in their possession revealed how the institution’s cheques running into nearly five hundred million Leones, were cashed out at Skye bank without the prior knowledge of the Management of Concord Times.

According to the Concord Times some of its staff, who were allegedly involved in the said fraudulent act, are currently being investigated by the Police, but the bank has refused to furnish the Police with certain information that would aid their investigation.

In response to this allegation, the Management of Skye Bank said it wishes to  informing members of the public series of publications in the Concord Times Newspaper dated 11th, 12th and 13th day of January 2021 respectively were specifically directed at the Bank on allegations, which according to Management, are defamatory and reflect negatively on the image of the Bank.

It furthered that they note with grave concern the allusions of impropriety, fraud and description of events that had been particularly designed to portray the Bank in a negative light and cause maximum embarrassment and severe reputational damage intended to lower the reputation of the Bank in the eyes of the public.

Management said in sum, the referred publications stated that: The Bank as an institution is encouraging fraudsters that have defrauded the newspaper by serving as a “safe haven” to the referred fraudsters by not being supportive of an investigation that is currently being carried out at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

It continued that the Bank wishes to unequivocally indicate that it has always complied with its statutory obligations and has never sought to protect any customer and/or member of staff that may be involved in any impropriety and fraud.

“The Bank has always prided itself in complying with due process in every undertaking in accordance with prescriptive rules, banking customs and express provisions of the law,” it underscored adding that it is in the light of the above that the Bank wishes its customers, counterparts and the general public at large to note the following: By a letter dated 26th June 2020, the solicitor of the Concord Times Newspaper (Concord Times) informed the Bank of certain alleged financial impropriety that were being orchestrated by employees of Concord Times. They stated that the impropriety was in the nature of cash withdrawals that were made from a particular account of the Bank which was to the tune of Le40, 000,000.00 (Forty Million Leones).

Management said upon further enquiry by the Bank, Concord Times divulged that from the period of January to June 2020, its employees that were responsible to collect cheques had duly collected certain cheques and commenced the practice of endorsing cheques made payable to Concord Times with all the relevant legitimate signatures and stamps for the benefit of third parties instead of paying same into the bank account of Concord Times, which would have been the standard practice.

It went on to state that the Bank, upon learning about the incident informed Concord Times that it was going to consider the possibility of paying Concord Times the referred amount whilst, it expects Concord Times to fully investigate the matter on the part of their employees, whilst the Bank will locate the customer, and any other person involved, thereby ensuring that the Bank is adequately indemnified for the Le40, 000,000.00 (Forty Million Leones) that it would have given to Concord Times.

The Bank, Management said, did not have any choice but to honour cheques that were duly indorsed to the benefit of its own customer(s), who were third party indorsees on the cheques.

According to the Bank’s Management, that practice went on for quite a while without any complaints being received from Concord Times. It said the Bank was therefore shocked and dismayed to receive report of alleged fraud in June of 2020.

It would appear, Management said,  after the practice had commenced, individual employees of Concord Times hit on the idea of diverting cheques made in favour of Concord Times to third parties on be known to Management of Skye Bank.

After receiving that information, Management continued, whilst the Bank was in the process of carrying out its own internal investigations and carefully locate any customer that may be involved in the alleged impropriety, suddenly and inexplicably Concord Times revealed that their own internal enquiry had now revealed that the amount involved was no longer Le40,000,000.00 (Forty Million Leones) but Le480,000,000.00 (Four Hundred and Eighty Million Leones) and the time span of the alleged fraud by their employees was no longer limited to the period of 6 months but was now within a period of 4 years.

This new revelation, it went on, immediately necessitated the Bank to inform Concord Times that both parties should have their solicitors present at the next meeting.

Meanwhile, it revealed, Concord Times’ solicitors had addressed a letter to the Bank requesting the release of certain information regarding the account of a customer of the Bank, which request could of course not be acceded to by virtue of the Bankers Books and Documentary Evidence Act 1879, The Banking Act 2019 and other legislations that regulates the affairs of banking in Sierra Leone.

Management said to the utmost surprise of the Bank, when Management staff of Concord Times attended the meeting, they alluded that the Bank was supposed to pay them the referred Le480, 000,000.00 (Four Hundred and Eighty Million Leones) because the Bank had initially contemplated the possibility of settling the Le40, 000,000.00 (Forty Million Leones) claim during the previous meeting they had with the Bank.

The General Manager of the Bank – Ikubolaje Nicol, then indicated to the team from Concord Times that the new allegation by Concord Times was very novel to the Bank and entirely different from the subject matter or quantum involved in the previous meeting.

At that point, the General Manager immediately sought further information from the management team at the meeting regarding the status of the employees at Concord Times that were suspected to have been involved in the diversion of the alleged funds. In response thereto, the team from Concord Times casually indicated that the suspected employees had been identified and were under suspension.

It was at this juncture that the General Manager of the Bank was constrained to inform the team from Concord Times that having regard to the nature and scale of the allegation, the newspaper ought to have made a report to the Police in order for a criminal investigation to be launched, as it was clear that for the sum of Le480,000,000.00 (Four Hundred and Eighty Million Leones) to be continuously diverted within the course of 4 years without any detection from the Concord Times accounts department, would only mean that there is a syndicate reflective of a criminal enterprise within Concord Times that was effectively geared towards siphoning monies off Concord Times.

Moreover, the General Manager said a reasonable man will be suspicious of the fact that such an alleged scheme had proceeded for 4 years without any detection from Concord Times.

He further unequivocally indicated that any present or past employee of the Bank who may have aided such a criminal enterprise that was devised within Concord Times would be surrendered to the Police together with operators of any bank account that may have been used in furtherance thereof.

Management of Skye Bank pointed out that  the Management team from Concord Times however, whilst acknowledging their mistake in not reporting the alleged incident to the Police as a reasonable institution was expected to have done, were still suggesting the possibility of the Bank taking the responsibility of paying the Le480,000,000.00 (Four Hundred and Eighty Million Leones).

It was also stated that it was at that point that the solicitor representing the Bank at the meeting indicated that the Bank would be inclined to know those who are criminally liable at Concord Times and for criminal liability to be clearly established against all perpetrators of the alleged incident, subsequent to which Management of the Bank as well as Management of Concord Times would be clear as to what went wrong and examine where the liability of payment/refund/indemnity lies.

In addition, the General Manager indicated that Management is accountable to the Board of Directors of the Bank who are further accountable to the shareholders, thereby placing the Bank in the position where it ought to justify and account for the disbursement of monies of such nature.

Oddly, it was at that point of the meeting that a member of the team from Concord Times resorted to a strange insinuation that the Bank would want to settle the incident quietly because Concord Times had the tool of publication in the print media and that other newspapers had been allegedly defrauded in a similar manner and thus, it will not be in the best interest of the Bank to have these matters published.

The Bank viewed this as an attempt by Concord Times to direct its attention at recovering from the Bank monies for which liability had not been established, rather than focusing on unravelling the syndicate of criminal enterprise that had been subsisting within their institution for the past 4 years.

It was highlighted that subsequent to the meeting, the Bank learnt that based on its advice and recommendation Concord Times finally made a report to the Police in respect of which an official investigation was opened against employees of Concord Times that had been involved in allegedly diverting cheques from the institution and covering it up for the past 4 years.

Whilst the Bank was hoping to receive formal and proper request for information to enable it assist in the investigation, an officer identifying himself as a personnel of the CID came to the office of the General Manager sometime in November of 2020 and requested that he be provided with information of an account holder and other transactional details thereof.

The General Manager informed the CID personnel that the Bank will require a formal request for the information that is been sought to which the personnel responded that CID had made a request to FIU and FIU had declined the request.

Skye Bank’s General Manager then reiterated that it is unconventional to respond to an informal request particularly in the manner that was being employed by the personnel, and therefore encouraged the CID personnel to formally make a request for effective reference of the Bank, especially as FIU had declined their request and there was no letter or written communication from CID to the Bank. After that date, no further request and/or communication was made to the Bank, whether written or oral. In the premise, the Bank therefore viewed the publications as malicious and designed to intimidate or coerce the Bank into paying monies for which the Bank is totally not liable.

Management of the Bank has categorically stated that theirs is  a financial institution that has consistently built its impeccable reputation by adhering to rules and ensuring that their mode of operation is in consonance with the acceptable standards of the laws governing the industry.

It continued by stating that is in such spirit that the Bank wishes to resoundingly emphasise that it has not and will not condone any nature of fraudulent activity whatsoever. Similarly, it will not serve as a “safe haven” to any customer or person that remotely engages in any form of fraud, financial impropriety or improper conduct.

Management therefore lamented that the inflammatory and potentially libellous nature of the three articles that have been published by Concord Times are misguided in content as well as misleading in the narrative outlines of what had transpired, and will not serve to coerce or blackmail the Bank into paying monies that the Bank is not liable for.

It continued that meanwhile, the general public is assured of the highest standard of banking services at all times at Skye Bank.

Samura Kamara Worships at As Salaf As- Salih Mosque & Donates Bags of Rice

By Edward Vamboi

Throng of worshippers at the As – Salaf As -Salih Islamic Mission Mosque at Rukupa in the  East End of  Freetown, on the 15th January 2021,  played host to the frontrunner of the APC presidential ticket, Dr. Samura Kamara during their Friday Juma prayers.

Dr. Samura, who is no stranger in that part of Freetown was again well received by worshippers, residents and supporters of the APC party at the Rukupa community.

The officiating Imam, Sheikh Yusuf ,centered his sermon on the virtues of patience and perseverance and entreated Dr. Samura Kamara to remain focus on the goal he has set himself to lead Sierra Leone. “Even though we are not politicians, we shall remain grateful for the significant role the APC leadership played in the establishment of the National Council of Imams,” he said.

In his response, Dr Samura Kamara extolled the virtues of the Islamic religion and said even though he is a Christian, he remains committed to the promotion of Islam and religious tolerance in Sierra Leone. “Today, I feel inspired by the Islamic lecture about patience. It actually also resonates with a Christian principle called the Waiting Grace….our county is today faced with numerous challenges but let us continue to be patient until God’s appointed time to redeem us all,” he stressed amidst loud rounds of applause from the worshippers.

Dr. Samura Kamara later donated sixty (60) bags of rice to the senior clergy of the As – Salaf As -Salih Islamic Mission Mosque before departing Freetown for Makeni for another function.

Submit 2019 Audit Report Implementation Plan in 3 Weeks Or…  Financial Secretary Orders Vote Controllers  

Financial Secretary, Sahr Lahai Jusu

By Amin Kef Sesay

On January 14th, 2021 the Financial Secretary, Sahr Lahai Jusu, while addressing Vote Controllers at his George Street Office, sternly gave them a three-week grace period for the submission of their implementation plans of the 2019 Audit Report recommendations.

He warned them that the implementation plan will be captured in the Performance Tracking Table (PTT) and if they fail there will be a strong remedial measure which will lead to suspension.

Sahr Jusu furthered that the main challenge they are faced with is that many of their offices do not recognize the audit process and recommendations adding how the above challenge was discussed extensively with the country’s leadership.

“It is a fact because if you sit down as a Vote Controllers and an auditor asks you about your travel and you have to respond it means you need to take the audit seriously,” the Financial Secretary stated further blaming Vote Controllers for not treating the Auditor General’s representative seriously as when she sends her audit staff the Vote Controllers just send them to someone else.

“It is not the accountant that controls the vote it is the Vote Controller. You should pay keen attention during the audit and response process, but when they go to the provinces and come with that Management Letter and the accountant says this is it and then you sign you are indicting yourself,” he warned as he highlighted issues raised in the 2019 Auditor General’s report.

He promised that they will continue to provide support to the agencies that provide oversight to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) as issues of audit in the reports will help them to improve on processes and procedures.

Issues of compliance to laws, procurement and public financial management formed part of the Emphasis of Matter in the Auditor General’s “Unqualified Opinion” on the 2019 Report.

Cabinet Secretary, John Sumaila, stressed also that MDAs will be required to give full support to the process in Parliament noting the sensitivity of the issues involved and the initial reaction that has been coming from the public.

This, he says, has become compelling for the leadership of MDAs to come together to consider how to minimize the adverse issues in the Audit Reports.

He encouraged them to improve on the findings and retrieval of documents by cooperating with auditors through the releasing of records and documentation. “Uphold internal controls established in MDAs to ensure that the business of Government is carried out in an orderly and efficient manner, respond to audit queries and that should be done in addressing issues raised in the audit report, support internal auditors or else we will institute punitive measures for failure to implement audit recommendations as it has been included in the PTT.”

Other speakers were the Accountant General, Director of Internal Audit, and the Commissioner-General of the National Revenue Authority.

Vote Controllers were allowed to make comments on the issues discussed.

NP-SL Always Takes the Lead Where Others Follow

By Amin Kef Sesay

The well-established oil marketing company that has been operating in the country for quite a long period of time now, the National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited, NP (SL-Ltd) is relentless enhancing  its strides  to always ensure that its imported petroleum products are available on the market and easily accessible to its numerous and esteemed customers. Management of the company has made it a matter of must for these products to be present in all the nook and cranny of the country.

NP-SL Limited, as a private entity, is purely an indigenous company that has mastered the art of importing and marketing petroleum products which include petrol, diesel, gas as well as certified lubricants, one of which is the widely used Castrol oil.

Amidst various challenges that have been encountered since the company was established, it has, however,  successfully weathered those storms that could have dwarfed it or exposed it to extinction, save therapeutic intermittent Managerial injections that keep it upright and on the right course.

Demonstrating its true Sierra Leonean identity the company has maintained a policy of strictly adhering to the Local Content Policy ensuring that it has a maximum indigenous staff in its employ. What this actually means is empowering our brothers and sisters to access employment opportunities and reduce poverty.

As a matter of fact some members of staff continue to benefit from various trainings that have afforded them the conduit to imbibe useful skills to efficiently carry out certain assigned tasks. If we are counting the number of companies that have upheld the Local Content Policy, without any iota of doubt, NP-SL could be seen at the top.

This intrinsic nationalistic posture of the company runs through and it is a sine qua non to overall national development. If such a compliance rate should have been followed by other local companies, willingly, without any pressure from the relevant authorities then indisputably this country should have been miles away in its development trajectory.

Business Management experts have made it abundantly clear that the way and manner in which customers are cared for in terms of talking to them, making them feel at ease go a long way in attracting them. Such should be done sincerely in order to make them more important. NP-SL for a very long period now has executed it so well which definitely is paying dividends.

1st for Customer Care was earned by the company because it has been widely acclaimed by many for solidly executing such.

In its drive to optimize customer satisfaction the company went the extra mile to install calibrated pumping machines which are not only modern but trustworthy, as opposed to old pumping machines which certain unscrupulous individuals used to cheat unassuming customers.

This is helping to repose confidence in customers that they are dealing with a very transparent entity. The friendliness of their pump attendants is very impressive and they are always there to timely respond to various concerns.

Still within the purview of 1st for Customer Care, the company is always in a position to enter into payment plans with its reliable and dependable customers including Ministries, Departments and Agencies for supplied fuel and lubricants as long as all the necessary modalities have been put in place.

When cognizance is taken of the fact that some of these institutions receive intermittent budgetary allocations then such an arrangement is very significant. Its significance in real terms borders on functional continuity of those institutions as they will be assured of supplies of petroleum products in as much as they keep honouring their obligations.

For those who have not tried NP Gas for the first time it is now time to give it a try. Designed in sizable varying cylinders and sold at various NP Filling Stations, this cooking device has been rated as one of the best that is on offer for sale. NP Gas is safe, user friendly and portable. Trying it will spur you to recommend it to others.

NP Smart Card is now in vogue and is one of the latest technological devices used to purchase petroleum products. Using it has attendant advantages as evident in procuring fuel at any time of the day even during times when monies could not be accessed from banks. It is secured, easy to use and very quick. It is now trending.

To crystallize proposed projects into tangible realities on the ground, Government needs the required financial resources to effectively do so and one sure way is from collection of taxes which is the mandate of the National Revenue Authority (NRA).  NP is one big tax payer to Government and it has been doing so timely.

NP-SL remains undaunted, unperturbed amidst all the challenges it is going through and conscientiously it is steadily contributing to the socio-economic development of the country as well as  positively changing communities and lives.

NRA Bags Best Africa Performing Revenue Authority Award

By Amin Kef Sesay

At this crucial moment when most African countries are  grappling with as well as contending with the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic that are negatively impinging the economies of those countries, especially so in terms of revenue mobilization, Sierra Leone’s leading revenue mobilizer, the National Revenue Authority (NRA) , under the leadership of its result-oriented Commissioner-General, Dr. Samuel Jibao, has been selected, among other nominees, to be awarded with the prestigious Africa Business Report Award of Africa’s Best Performing Revenue Authority.

The NRA will be awarded by the Africa Business Report during the 3rd series of the African Business Summit and Awards 2021 slated to take place on the 5th March 2021 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and will be held virtually.

According to Dr. Regina Obrah of the Africa Business Report, NRA’s selection for that prestigious award was done in recognition of the Authority’s enormous contribution to the growth and development of the African business sector through their unrelenting effort towards achieving excellent accountability in the sector.

She stated further that having distinguished the NRA as an institution to reckon with, its keen interest in indigenous growth within the sector and having followed the NRA’s Commissioner General’s enviable track record especially for inspiring transparency and accountability in Africa’s public service such necessitated Africa Business Report to arrive at a decision to feature him in their March, 2021 edition as a Focus Story which will be unveiled during Africa Business Summit and Awards 2021

Dr Obrah said towards that end they will be honouring Dr. Jibao   alongside other distinguished guests through the unique visibility platform designed to bring together reputable leaders in Africa.

In his reaction, the NRA Commissioner General, Dr Samuel Jibao expressed profound thanks and appreciation to the Africa Business Report for what he referred to their marked recognition of the work they are doing as a revenue mobilization institution on behalf of the Government. He noted that their work is indeed a very challenging one as business entities are sometimes reluctant to pay their taxes but said as a result of the high sense of professionalism displayed by members of staff of the Authority they are making progresses.

The Commissioner General also stated that bagging the award now has served as a driving or propelling force for them to continue to work assiduously in terms of enhancing their efforts in revenue mobilization noting that it is the revenue that they mobilizes  which forms the key source from which the Government derives funds to implement various development programmes. He enjoined all his colleagues to continue to do more in order to actualize the Authority’s mandate.

The Africa Business Report, with Corporate Headquarters in the United States of America and Africa Headquarters in Nigeria is a leading business news organization in Africa, providing business reports, emerging trends and market intelligence on Africa. It has a vision to become the most reliable vehicle reporting business development, innovations and entrepreneurial strides in Africa.

It could be recalled that this is not the first time that the NRA has been honoured and awarded for its excellent performances as being held in high esteem is evident in the institution’s bagging of meritorious awards both at home and abroad.

World Vision & MoPED Monitor Sustainable Water Project Site

By Foday Moriba Conteh

The National Director of NGO Affairs in the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, Eric Masallay on Wednesday 13th January 2021 along with World Vision International conducted field monitoring visit of the Sustainable Water Project in the East of Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The site visit was to inspect the construction of solar panel boreholes in three separate communities – in Ward 402 (Calaba Town), Ward 399 (Upper Allen Town) and Kissy.

The visit was to also engage communities on the importance of the project. The construction of the boreholes is targeting over 6000 beneficiaries in schools, markets, hospitals and communities in each of the wards.

The National Director, Eric Masallay, said the essence of the exercise was to monitor the installation of the water facilities in the communities, which is a key factor in addressing the water crisis in that part of Freetown.

He said, as a Government their role is to identify the needs of the people and attract partners, such as World Vision to complement the efforts of the Government.

Mr. Masallay advised World Vision to ensure that a Management Committee is established and well trained in administering and maintaining the project. He encouraged World Vision to replicate this project in other communities, using the same model.

Acting Country Director of World Vision International, Grace Kargbo thanked the team from MoPED for visiting the sites. She also said as an organization, they will continue to work with the   Government through their various intervention programs in the country.

She admonished the community to ensure that there is sustainability of these projects, as the model used is unique.

Skye Bank Debunks Media Report

PRESS RELEASE

By Management Skye Bank

Our attention has been drawn to series of publications in the Concord Times Newspaper dated 11th, 12th and 13th day of January 2021 respectively, which were specifically directed at our Bank on allegations that are defamatory and reflect negatively on the image of the Bank. We note with grave concern the allusions of impropriety, fraud and description of events that had been particularly designed to portray the Bank in a negative light and cause maximum embarrassment and severe repetitional damage intended to lower the reputation of the Bank in the eyes of the public.

In sum, the referred publications stated that:

The Bank as an institution is encouraging fraudsters that have defrauded the newspaper by serving as a “safe haven” to the referred fraudsters by not being supportive of an investigation that is currently being carried out at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

The Bank wishes to unequivocally indicate that it has always complied with its statutory obligations and has never sought to protect any customer and/or member of staff that may be involved in any impropriety and fraud. The Bank has always prided itself in complying with due process in every undertaking in accordance with prescriptive rules, banking customs and express provisions of the law.

It is in the light of the above that the Bank wishes its customers, counterparts and the general public at large to note the following:

  1. By a letter dated 26th June 2020, the solicitor of the Concord Times Newspaper (Concord Times) informed the Bank of certain alleged financial impropriety that were being orchestrated by employees of Concord Times. They stated that the impropriety was in the nature of cash withdrawals that were made from a particular account of the Bank which was to the tune of Le40,000,000.00 (Forty Million Leones).
  2. Upon further enquiry by the Bank, Concord Times divulged that from the period of January to June 2020, its employees that were responsible to collect cheques had duly collected certain cheques and commenced the practice of endorsing cheques made payable to Concord Times with all the relevant legitimate signatures and stamps for the benefit of third parties instead of paying same into the bank account of Concord Times, which would have been the standard practice.
  3. The Bank upon learning about the incident informed Concord Times that it was going to consider the possibility of paying Concord Times the referred amount whilst, it expects Concord Times to fully investigate the matter on the part of their employees, whilst the Bank will locate the customer, and any other person involved, thereby ensuring that the Bank is adequately indemnified for the Le40,000,000.00 (Forty Million Leones) that it would have given to Concord Times. The Bank did not have any choice but to honour cheques that were duly indorsed to the benefit of its own customer(s), who were third party indorsees on the cheques. This practice went on for quite a while without any complaints being received from Concord Times. The Bank was therefore shocked and dismayed to receive report of alleged fraud in June of 2020. It would appear that after the practice had commenced, individual employees of Concord Times hit on the idea of diverting cheques made in favour of Concord Times to third parties on be known to Management of Skye Bank.
  4. After receiving this information, whilst the Bank was in the process of carrying out its own internal investigations and carefully locate any customer that may be involved in the alleged impropriety, suddenly and inexplicably Concord Times revealed that their own internal enquiry had now revealed that the amount involved was no longer Le40,000,000.00 (Forty Million Leones) but Le480,000,000.00 (Four Hundred and Eighty Million Leones) and the time span of the alleged fraud by their employees was no longer limited to the period of 6 months but was now within a period of 4 years. This new revelation immediately necessitated the Bank to inform Concord Times that both parties should have their solicitors present at the next meeting. Meanwhile, Concord Times’ solicitors had addressed a letter to the Bank requesting the release of certain information regarding the account of a customer of the Bank, which request could of course not be acceded to by virtue of the Bankers Books and Documentary Evidence Act 1879, The Banking Act 2019 and other legislations that regulates the affairs of banking in Sierra Leone.
  5. To the utmost surprise of the Bank, when management staff of Concord Times attended the meeting, they alluded that the Bank was supposed to pay them the referred Le480,000,000.00 (Four Hundred and Eighty Million Leones) because the Bank had initially contemplated the possibility of settling the Le40,000,000.00 (Forty Million Leones) claim during the previous meeting they had with the Bank. The General Manager of the Bank – Ikubolaje Nicol, then indicated to the team from Concord Times that the new allegation by Concord Times was very novel to the Bank and entirely different from the subject matter or quantum involved in the previous meeting.
  6. At that point, the General Manager immediately sought further information from the management team at the meeting regarding the status of the employees at Concord Times that were suspected to have been involved in the diversion of the alleged funds. In response thereto, the team from Concord Times casually indicated that the suspected employees had been identified and were under suspension. It was at this juncture that the General Manager of the Bank was constrained to inform the team from Concord Times that having regard to the nature and scale of the allegation, the newspaper ought to have made a report to the police in order for a criminal investigation to be launched, as it was clear that for the sum of Le480,000,000.00 (Four Hundred and Eighty Million Leones) to be continuously diverted within the course of 4 years without any detection from the Concord Times accounts department, would only mean that there is a syndicate reflective of a criminal enterprise within Concord Times that was effectively geared towards siphoning monies off Concord Times. Moreover, a reasonable man will be suspicious of the fact that such an alleged scheme had proceeded for 4 years without any detection from Concord Times. The General Manger further unequivocally indicated that any present or past employee of the Bank who may have aided this criminal enterprise that was devised within Concord Times would be surrendered to the police together with operators of any bank account that may have been used in furtherance thereof.
  7. The management team from Concord Times however, whilst acknowledging their mistake in not reporting the alleged incident to the police as a reasonable institution was expected to have done, were still suggesting the possibility of the Bank taking the responsibility of paying the Le480,000,000.00 (Four Hundred and Eighty Million Leones). It was at this point that the solicitor representing the Bank at the meeting indicated that the Bank would be inclined to know those who are criminally liable at Concord Times and for criminal liability to be clearly established against all perpetrators of the alleged incident, subsequent to which management of the Bank as well as management of Concord Times would be clear as to what went wrong and examine where the liability of payment/refund/indemnity lies.
  8. In addition, the General Manager indicated that Management is accountable to the Board of Directors of the Bank who are further accountable to the shareholders, thereby placing the Bank in the position where it ought to justify and account for the disbursement of monies of such nature. Oddly, it was at that point of the meeting that a member of the team from Concord Times resorted to a strange insinuation that the Bank would want to settle the incident quietly because Concord Times had the tool of publication in the print media and that other newspapers had been allegedly defrauded in a similar manner and thus, it will not be in the best interest of the Bank to have these matters published. The Bank viewed this as an attempt by Concord Times to direct its attention at recovering from the Bank monies for which liability had not been established, rather than focusing on unraveling the syndicate of criminal enterprise that had been subsisting within their institution for the past 4 years.
  9. Subsequent to the meeting, the Bank learnt that based on its advice and recommendation Concord Times finally made a report to the police in respect of which an official investigation was opened against employees of Concord Times that had been involved in allegedly diverting cheques from the institution and covering it up for the past 4 years.
  10. Whilst the Bank was hoping to receive formal and proper request for information to enable it assist in the investigation, an officer identifying himself as a personnel of the CID came to the office of the General Manager sometime in November of 2020 and requested that he be provided with information of an account holder and other transactional details thereof. The General Manager informed the CID personnel that the Bank will require a formal request for the information that is been sought to which the personnel responded that CID had made a request to FIU and FIU had declined the request.
  11. The General Manager then reiterated that it is unconventional to respond to an informal request particularly in the manner that was being employed by the personnel, and therefore encouraged the CID personnel to formally make a request for effective reference of the Bank, especially as FIU had declined their request and there was no letter or written communication from CID to the Bank. After that date, no further request and/or communication was made to the Bank, whether written or oral. In the premise, the Bank therefore views these publications as malicious and designed to intimidate or coerce the Bank into paying monies for which the Bank is totally not liable.

We are a financial institution that has consistently built its impeccable reputation by adhering to rules and ensuring that our mode of operation is in consonance with the acceptable standards of the laws governing our industry. It is in this spirit that the Bank wishes to resoundingly emphasise that it has not and will not condone any nature of fraudulent activity whatsoever.

Similarly, it will not serve as a “safe haven” to any customer or person that remotely engages in any form of fraud, financial impropriety or improper conduct. Thus, the inflammatory and potentially libelous nature of the three articles that have been published by Concord Times are misguided in content as well as misleading in the narrative outlines of what had transpired, and will not serve to coerce or blackmail the Bank into paying monies that the Bank is not liable for. Meanwhile, the general public is assured of the highest standard of banking services at all times at Skye Bank.

Public Service Commission Presents Report to President Bio

By Edward Vamboi

On Tuesday 12th January 2021, the management of Sierra Leone’s Public Service Commission (PSC), presented their biennial report for 2018–2020 to President Dr. Julius Maada Bio at State House.

Chairman of the PSC, Kalilu Umar Bah, said they were honoured to present the report to the President, adding that the process preceded the laying out of the report in the well of Parliament.

He further noted that upon assuming duties in August 2018, he and his team challenged themselves to pursue a new direction to enable the Commission to carry out its constitutional mandate of recruitment and selection of competent personnel to meet the human resource requirement of the country’s public service.

“During the period under review, the Commission received 12,763 applications nationwide. A total of 5,060 applicants were shortlisted to take the Civil Service Entrance Examination on a competitive basis in the regions, and 2,239 applicants sat the exams in the regional headquarter towns of Makeni, Bo and Kenema.

“To date, a total of 775 officials have been appointed by the Public Service Commission to fill critical vacancies in various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies through its competitive recruitment procedures. Gender analysis of the 775 appointments is 278 women, representing 36% and 496 men, representing 64%,” Chairman Bah explained.

Section 152 (1) of the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Act No.6 of 1991) confers on the PSC the power to appoint persons to hold or act in offices in the Public Service, including the power to make appointments, promotions and to exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in such offices.

In his short remarks, President Bio thanked the Commissioner and his team for performing their statutory duties, adding that the work of the Commission is extremely difficult, given that they would need to consider gender, region, and ethnicity balance in the recruitment process, and in making sure that the recruits are given the best to make the job easier.

“It is our duty as Sierra Leoneans to give positions of leadership to deserving people, to provide an atmosphere of good governance because it is a pathway to developing our nation. We have started making progress and changing the narratives.

“I want to thank you very much for taking this difficult task, we owe it to you in making sure that the people who are coming in service are equal to the task, and to motivate them to make sure we move this nation,” President Bio told the Commissioners.

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