By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
Testimonies at the onging Commission of Inquiry in Sierra Leone have revealed that former president Ernest Bai Koroma approved a total of Le 6.1 billion as payment for terminal benefits for all 34 staff of the Petroleum Directorate. This money was paid in 2018 despite most of the staff still working at the Directorate.
This is the first time President Koroma has directly been tied to any investigation at any of the three Commissions which are investigating the activities of his administration from 2007 to 2018.
The Accounting Manager of the Directorate, Sabieu Conteh testified that the money had to be paid so that the government wouldn’t transfer the liability of paying the workers in the future.
“With the passage of the fiscal management Act, the benefit fund would have gone into the consolidated revenue fund. This means we would have lost our benefits. So for government not to transfer the burden of liability, our Director General pleaded with the President for us to receive our benefits,” Conteh said.
State Counsel, Lawyer Kadija Bangura, asked him specifically whether the President signed off on the payments.
“Are you saying the former president gave the approval for your benefit to be paid whiles you are in employment?” Conteh replied, “Yes.”
The Director General who sought the approval at the time from President Koroma was Raymond Kargbo who himself received more than Le2 billion of the total amount, as his own benefit package.
Amadu Mansaray, Senior Administrative Manager at the Directorate, a position he continues to hold, served as witness for the State. And he explained the reporting structure of the Directorate on Thursday.
“The Directorate was established in 2012 and it is under the office of the President. The Director General accounts directly to the President, through the Secretary to the President,” Mansaray said.
President Koroma was represented at the commission by around half a dozen lawyers, led by former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara. Kamara asked the Accounting Manager whether the payment of early benefits was a normal practice in the civil service. And Conteh said yes.
Lawyer Kamara also asked whether these payments would be made again in the future to the staff of the Directorate.
“Do you agree that the one lump payment is a payment for their years served and they will not be paid for those years again?”
Conteh responded in the affirmative.
Conteh, Mansaray and the 32 others were paid the money in 2018, for work done from the start of their service to the end of 2017.
Documents in the commission show that Mansaray and Conteh, who testified during Thursday’s proceedings, received more than Le900 million in total for their tenure in the Directorate. Mansaray said 95% of them were still working at the Directorate. He explained the condition on which they were still working.
“My status and other employees have been regularized by signing a fresh contract effective 1st January 2019,” he said.
The presiding judge, Justice Biobele Goergewill, sought clarification from Mansaray on his understanding of terminal benefit.
“My understanding is that it is a payment at the end of your service with an organization,”
He added “I did not solicit it.”
Justice Biobele further asked “So you eat every money that comes your way? Whether it is yours or not?”
Testimonies and cross examinations in this matter revealed that prior to the establishment of the Treasury Single Account, the Directorate had 12 different accounts. The signatories included the Director General, Head of Accounting, Accounting Manager and a representative nominated by State House.
These accounts were used by the Directorate to run its own affairs. The Accounting Manager, Conteh explained how they were generating money as a Directorate.
“We generate revenue through training funds, surface rent, technology bonus, passing fees and proceeds from the sales of geophysical and geological data,” he said.
A document presented to the commission analyzing the revenue of the directorate revealed an anomaly in 2017, when the Directorate’s total inflow was over Le14 billion yet they ended up spending more than Le 68 billion.
This investigation into Petroleum Directorate and the direct decision-making ties to President Koroma have generated fresh interest in the commission’s work. Thursday’s proceedings saw a packed room, with journalists, lawyers, activists, security forces and ordinary people all watching on.
Justice Biobele adjourned the proceedings to the first week in July.
State Counsel says it has more witnesses to put on the stand when they return.
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