By Mabinty M. Kamara
The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) has been the least compliant with the office of the Ombudsman, posing a major obstacle its work, Leon Jenkins-Johnson, Ombudsman of Sierra Leone, has said.
Mr Jenkins-Johnson told Politico that the Ombudsman’s work has been hindered by a general lack of cooperation from many institutions, but that the police has failed to cooperate to an extent that it prevent progresses and speedy conclusion of investigations relating to it. He said the Ministry of Lands is second to the SLP in terms of lack of compliance, citing data in their possession.
The Office of the Ombudsman was set up by an Act of Parliament with the mandate to investigate administrative malpractices within Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government. It investigates, mediates and seeks to resolve complaints laid against administrative decisions, malpractices in the public sector and institutions of higher learning set entirely or partly out of public funds.
Figures provided by the Ombudsman’s office to Politico indicate that from 2019 to 2020 alone, they have received 333 complaints from Freetown, 146 of which have been investigated and concluded. Some 73 complaints were referred to other institutions, while 114 are still pending.
Of that the 114 complaints, according to Jenkins-Johnson, majority belongs to both the Sierra Leone Police and the Ministry of Lands.
“And with the Police, we are not getting the kind of corporations we would have liked. We have so many issues we have written about that they are simply not responding to and if they don’t respond, it will forestall our investigations,” he said, noting that he had been trying to reach out to the police leadership to get them respond to their queries.
“I am still awaiting appointment with the Inspector General of Police so that I can push him a little bit and get him to cooperate a with us,” Jenkins-Johnson added.
The Ombudsman said the compliance rate has also been low partly because people do not seem to understand the mandate and powers of the office.
“We have to be constantly educating the public, constantly educating government institutions, that what we are doing is within our mandate and [that] law requires you to comply,” he said.
According to him, the cases they have with the police entail grievances emanating from investigations conducted internally. He explained that his office acts as an external body that reviews the conduct of such investigations.
“We have a number of cases pending with the police for which we have not gotten response from them. Those form a bulk of them,” he said, noting that cases involving the recent dismissal of a number of senior police officers were currently before his office and he couldn’t comment on them.
Jenkins-Johnson said the SLP is supposed to provide his office with reports from the CDIID, which conducts internal investigations, of whatever case they are interested in.
“So part of the difficulties we are facing now is for example when officers come and complain, when we write to them, we expect them immediately to send everything they have on that officer and then we can look at the processes they follow. But at the moment, what we are having now is when we write, to even get the CDIID report, it takes us so long. The ones that they are interested in they will send, but for the majority they will not say anything,” he said.
We contacted the police through the office of the Media and Public Relations for comment on the issue. Superintendent Brima Kamara, Media and Public Relations Officer, was reluctant to comment, noting that if the Ombudsman had any compliant about them, he should complain to the police leadership and not the press.
“If he has a complaint that is an administrative matter. I think he can write to the Inspector General. He has a mandate given to him by the president and if he thinks he is getting some difficulties, then he should write to the Chief Executive,” he said, adding: “but if you have not complained and you went to the press, what do I say to that.”
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