By Amin Kef Sesay
In a new development, the Parliament of Sierra Leone, to be specific the Parliamentary Committee on Accounts, has on the 19th January 2022, ordered an immediate Special Audit of the Millions of Dollars of Donor-Funded Projects that were done via Mayor Yvonne Aki Sawyer in the name of the Freetown City Council with a specially ordered Audit to be done by the Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL) and completed within the next 30 Days.
This latest twist follows a revelation by Senior ASSL officials to the Public Accounts Committee of Sierra Leone that under Lara Taylor-Pearce as Auditor General, officials were hampered from completing a required Audit of the Mayor of Freetown and her so-called “Transform Freetown” initiative costed at over Ten Million Dollars (over 100 Billion Leones) for the year 2019 alone.
In return, Parliament has now ordered the Mayor and Freetown City Council to fully cooperate with the Auditors of the ASSL so as to ensure the Report of the ordered Special Audit is submitted to Parliament within the next 30 DAYS.
This said new development took place inside Parliamentary Committee Room 1.
The ASSL officials faithfully promised the Parliament that they are ready and determined to complete the audit if the Mayor and FCC cooperate.
Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas strictly advised the Mayor and FCC to provide all information to the Auditors of ASSL. He also directed the Auditors that if they face any obstacle or bottleneck in the process of auditing the Mayor’s projects, they should immediately report the Mayor to Parliament.
The matter was then adjourned.
