By Mabinty M. Kamara
The Ministry of Finance in Sierra Leone is currently being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over suspected maladministration, in connection to the 2015-2018 audit report.
According to a press statement published by the anti-graft agency, their intervention is focusing on aspects of possible or alleged corruption, and conduct inconsistent with the provision(s) in the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008.
“After a thorough review, and analysis of the aforementioned Reports, a total of twenty-one (21) issues attracted the attention of the Commission, with a view to investigating, prosecuting or recovering public funds, public revenue, public property, as the case maybe, in accordance with Sections 7, and 48 of the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008, respectively,” the statement reads.
However, the Ministry of Finance happens to be one of the institutions with gray areas that were picked up from the audit report which attracted the attention of the anti-graft agency. One of such allegations in the Audit Report being investigated by the Commission was that the Ministry of Finance undertook procurement of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment to the tune of three Hundred Million Leones (Le 300.000.000) without advertisement. For this, the ACC, according to its statement, has obtained the alleged procurement documents which has been analyzed and statement obtained from Persons of Interest, noting that the investigation was at an advanced stage and that the Public will be informed in due course.
The Audit Report also notes that there was variance in amount in terms of fuel paid for by the ministry and that which was actually supplied by the fuel dealer, noting that the Ministry paid a total amount of three Hundred and thirty-Seven Million Leones (Le 337, 000, 000) as against what the supplier supplied, which amounts to One Hundred and Eighty Seven Million Leones (Le 187, 000, 000).
The Audit Report further alleged that some staff at the ministry received overpayment without authorization; found inconsistency in the payroll and staff list; in the payment to deceased staff; and payment of salaries to staff on overdue study leave for the period January, 2017 to March, 2018.
According to the ACC, their investigations have established that a total number of thirty-one (31) staff in the ministry were overpaid. It added that the said persons have completed repayment to the State through a structured program instituted by the Ministry of Finance itself, save for two staff whose issues are still under review.
This file, according to the statement is still under review by the Prosecutions Department of the ACC to determine if criminal responsibility emanate from the conduct of the staff concerned or anyone else.
In the statement, the ACC also cleared officials of the Ministry of Works and Public Assets, which, according to the Audit Report, failed to pay proceeds from the sale of Government quarters into the Consolidated Revenue Fund, amounting to Two Billion, Two Hundred and Sixty Million Leones (Le 2,260,000,000).
However, the investigations established that twenty-eight (28) Government quarters situated around Spur Road, Wilberforce, Hill Station and Ross Road were sold for the sum of Two Billion, Six Hundred and Eighty Million Leones (Le 2,680,000,000). It also noted that a total of One Hundred and Nineteen Million, Three Hundred and Fourteen Thousand, Three Hundred and Four Leones (Le 119, 314,304.00) from the money was spent on monitoring activities by the Ministry of Works, leaving a balance of Two Billion, Five Hundred and Sixty Million, Six Hundred and Eighty Five Thousand, Six Hundred and Ninety Six Leones, (Le 2,560,685,696) held at the Works Emergency Account No.0112004648 at the Bank of Sierra Leone.
The money has been transferred into the Consolidated Revenue Fund on the 13th December, 2019 upon request of the Commission.
Therefore, the statement noted that embezzlement wasn’t the case but that the account into which the said money had been placed was not accessed by the auditors at the time of the audit.
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