By Nasratu Kargbo
Following months of investigation, the Anti-Corruption Commission has referred the case of suspended Clerk of the Sierra Leone Parliament, Umar Paran Tarawally’s to President Julius Maada Bio for ‘appropriate administrative action’.
The press release dated 14th June 2024 explains: “The investigation established that, while he denies playing any role in his wife’s employment, it is implausible that he was not aware of the same. He therefore failed in his supervisory responsibilities as Clerk albeit that the matter did not meet the prosecutorial threshold for an indictment to be preferred. Hon. Umar Paran Tarawally has therefore been referred to the President for appropriate administrative action”.
ACC in their release confirmed that Abibatu Paran Tarawally (the wife) benefited from salaries and other allowances in the capacity as Human Resources Officer for nineteen months, spanning from September 2021 to March 2023.
Her salary per month was seven thousand six hundred and seventy-six (7,676) Leones, and according to the release “Mrs. Tarawally admitted to have been employed as a replacement staff sometime in November, 2021, worked for only a few days and fell ill, which warranted her to travel out of the country for medical attention”.
It further explained that they found out that she received salaries and allowances for a period of 19 months which amounted to a total of one hundred and fifty-six thousand, four hundred and twenty-two Leones (156,422). The ACC stated that the amount has been recovered from her and paid into their Recovery Account.
After refunding the money, she consented to settlement of the matter pursuant to Section 89 (1) (b)(i)(ii) of the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 (as amended in 2019), which states “Where the commissioner is of the opinion that the findings of the commission or any investigation warrant a prosecution under this Act the Commissioner may- (b)Enter into an agreement with the suspect to (i)Refund the amount involved plus an interest of not less than 10% and, (ii) Preclude himself from holding public office for a period not less than three years.”
Based on the above agreement Tarawally refunded the money and paid an amount of fifteen thousand six hundred and forty-two Leones (Le 15,642) which serves as 10% interest of the total amount that she received. She is also not to hold public office for a period not less than five years.
“The Corruption Prevention Department of the ACC will work with the Office of the Clerk of Parliament and the Human Resources Department of the Parliamentary Service Commission to help strengthen and establish efficient systems and processes that will prevent such administrative anomalies from recurring” a part of the release reads.
The clerk was suspended to be investigated by the ACC after Gbla TV Online published a video on the 2nd January 2024, which made rounds on different social media platforms, accusing the Clerk of employing his wife who has been collecting salary and allowances without going to work.
Gbla TV Online’s Abdulia Gbla explained that he had investigated the matter after the clerk had redundant over one hundred staff in parliament without the approval of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) and even after the then Speaker of Parliament Dr. Chernor Abass Bundu had assured the public that they will not be sacking their staff.
He revealed that he found out that the clerk has been using his office to hire his people which led to parliament being overstaffed, stressing that most of these persons haven’t been going to work but have been receiving salaries. Gbla claimed that Tarawally replaced other workers, appointing his wife and seventeen other persons in their place after he was appointed clerk of Parliament, and had gone on to sack the over one hundred staff and appoint others in their positions.
A document was shown on Gbla TV believed to be a pay slips from the Public Service Commission of some workers including the clerk’s wife, stamped and with the signature of the clerk.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (21/06/24)
