The Government Special Technical Audit Report launched quite recently in Freetown has revealed that some Members of Parliament, Ministry of Information officials and members of the Political and Public Affairs Ministry, together with individual youth groups, have pocketed over USD 194.9 million as share of the International Gateway revenue.
The report has exposed several fraudulent issues in the country’s telecoms sector, including corporate companies being given undue advantage and preference over others to the point that the regulator offers loans towards their expansion programs at the detriment of Sierra Leoneans.
The country’s own mobile SIERRATEL was also not spared in the report, as their management was accused of misappropriating over USD56 million through the ineffective and fraudulent use of loans from the Government of India and other government subventions.
The report has, in total, noted that over 4 million dollars was reportedly lost in the sector and the Anti Corruption Commission has been asked to intervene.