By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has in a notice urged Public Officials to declare their income, assets, and liabilities by the stipulated deadline date of 31st March 2022.
The notice quoted section 119 sub-section 1 of the ACC Act which states that: ‘’Every public officer shall, within three months of becoming a public officer, deposit with the Commission a declaration of his income, assets, and liabilities and thereafter in every two years that he is public officer, but not later than 31st March of that second year, deposit further declaration of his income, assets, and liabilities and also while leaving office.’’
The notice identified persons in elective offices, those appointed by the President; public officers in grade 7 and above; and public officers below grade 7 with fiduciary (financial) responsibilities, such as bursars to declare their assets which the commission noted as mandatory according to the Act.
According to the Director of Public Education and Outreach, Patrick Sandi, Principals, Vice Principals, Head Teachers, Deputy Head Teachers, and Bursars in Government and Government-assisted schools are expected to declare their income, assets, and liabilities during this declaration period of 2022. He said all other teachers in grade 7 and above are exempted from this year’s declaration requirement.
The notice however emphasized that the Commission through section 122 of the Anti-Corruption Amendment Act of 2019 makes provision that a public officer failing to submit the declaration form will be punished by law.
‘’A public officer who, without reasonable cause, fails to submit his/her Assets Declaration Form or knowing records false, inaccurate or misleading information in the declaration form shall, in addition to any other penalty imposed under this Act, be liable to administrative sanctions as set out in Sub-section 5,’’ it states.
It further noted that the commission has the power to withhold, suspend (after one month of defaulting but not more than three months), and dismiss the Public Officer after exceeding three months (this does not apply to positions for which removal from office is stipulated in the constitution but applies to all), that fails to abide by the law.
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