By Alpha Abu
The Director Public Outreach Education and Outreach, Anti- Corruption Commission (ACC), Patrick Sandi has revealed plans of the commission to include lifestyle-auditing in its fight against graft. He made the revelation in Bo during a presentation to Journalists and Civil Society Activists who had gathered for a two day engagement in which representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) highlighted achievements and reviewed plans that matched the government’s manifesto and it’s Medium Term National Development Plan.
The move when instituted will mark a unique and significant shift from the more traditional way of combating corruption in the society.
He said the commission has established a special department that handles Assets Declaration documentation that would aid in probing people suspected of living questionable lifestyle that is incommensurate with their earnings. He displayed data which indicated a steady increase in the number of public officials who are complying with the asset declaration protocols. As at December 2020 over 25,000 public officials have filled out and presented their assets declaration forms to the ACC.
Sandi also asserted that the ACC is becoming now more pro-active in taking action over issues raised in Audit Reports and of having collaborated with 87 civil society organisations and 50 other organisations in capacity-building initiatives that assist in fighting corruption in the society.
The ACC has been able to recover huge sums of money from individuals convicted over misappropriation of public funds, Sandi disclosed to the gathering, and further stated that culprits now have to not only pay back monies stolen but can also be subjected to fines, ranging from 30 to 50 Million Leones.
According to the ACC director, result- based Integrity Management Committees have been established in all MDAs to ensure the commission’s procedures are followed. He said the objective is to exert the necessary leverage on public officials so they could be more accountable and transparent. He mentioned the existence of an Anti -Corruption Division in the High Court of Sierra Leone since 2019, with special court rules and which specifically handles all of the commission’s cases. He pointed out that the court has a dedicated personnel base that includes a stenographer and its own Registrar.
It could be recalled that President Julius Maada Bio in his campaign trail ahead of the 2018 polls, vowed to tackle corruption, an integral component of his party’s manifesto. The ACC’s steady progress in combating graft has been highlighted as one of the reasons for Sierra Leone being drafted for possible qualification for an over 400 Million Dollar Grant from the US based Millennium Challenge Corporation, a foreign assistance agency that addresses global poverty. The country has been making progress in various sectors in the last three years and gradually approaching the MCC’s stipulated benchmarks for access to the grant.
Over one hundred media practitioners and civil society activists attended the event which was organised by the Ministry of Information and Communications. It was the second time the ministry was staging such a gathering, the first held in Bo late last year had only journalists in the audience but was expanded this time to include activists.
Copyright © Politico Online 01/12/21
