By Allieu S. Tunkara
Counsel representing the state, at the Commission of Inquiry, has probed a twelve billion Leones agreement signed between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and the Road Maintenance Fund Administration (RMFA).
The Ministry of Youth Affairs is charged with the responsibility of implementing youth empowerment programmes for youths across the country, while the RMFA has the responsibility of funding the maintenance roads within major towns and cities in the country.
Former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs, Mohamed Brima Daboh, led in evidence by counsel, representing the state, Khadija Zainab Bangura told the Justice Biobele Commission of Inquiry that he served the Ministry of Youth Affairs as Permanent Secretary between December 2017 and May 2018.
The period under review, he continued, involved the rein of Bai Mamoud Bangura and Mohamed Orman Bangura as Ministers Youth Affairs.
The witness further told the Commission that, he is in a better capacity as head of administration and the most senior civil servant in the Ministry to disclose to the Commission about monetary transactions in the Ministry for the period under review.
The Permanent Secretary noted that he came to know about a Le 12 billion agreement between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and the RMFA during the first week of his appointment.
The witness told the Commission that one Pastor Ibrahim Koroma had approached him in his office and notified him that government owed them eleven billion seven hundred and fifty million Leones (Le11,750,000,000).
Ibrahim Koroma, he continued who according to him was Project Manager for the Youths in Drainage Project, urged him to write a letter to the RMFA to request the transfer of the said sum to the project account so that payment would be made to the youths in the project.
After some deliberations between the minister, Bai Mamoud Bangura, and him he agreed to write to RMFA requesting them to transfer Le11,750,000,000 (eleven billion seven hundred and fifty million Leones) as per the agreement earlier signed between the Ministry and the RMFA .
The Le12 billion agreement was signed between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and the RMFA in July 2013. In the said agreement, the RMFA was to transfer to the MOYA the said amount between January 2017 and December 2017.
One billion Leones (Le1,000,000,000) as per the agreement was be paid to the Ministry of Youth Affairs every month. This was with a view to enable the ministry to engage the services of young people in drainage cleaning work.
He disclosed that, only two hundred and fifty million Leones (Le250,000,000) was paid to the Youths in Drainage Project for the year under review and that a total of Le11,750,000,000 (eleven billion seven hundred and fifty million Leones) remains outstanding.
Two letters dated 3rd January 2018 were used to make the same request to the same institution (RMFA) for the same amount of Le12 billion. The first request letter was authored by the deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Affairs, while the second letter was written by the Permanent Secretary, Mohamed Daboh.
When questioned by state counsel, Khadija Zainab Bangura, as to why two letters were written by two different people in the same Ministry, the witness replied that the letter authored by the Deputy Secretary was supposed to have come to him first for perusal before going out. The letter, he explained further was scanty in terms of content and that prompted him to write another letter.
He also noted that, the project coordinator had also written another letter to the same ministry regarding over two billion Leones (Le2,000,000,000). Out of the said sum, he continued, two hundred and fifty million leones (Le250,000,000) was used in administrative activities.
Counsel for the state inquired about the allocation of such a huge sum to administrative activities and in responding, the witness informed the commission that, it was a standing formula developed by the ministry of youth affairs since the inception of the Youths-in Drainage Project.
“This standing formula was passed on to me and was forwarded to the RMFA”, the permanent secretary added.
Mohamed Daboh further intimated the commission that the sum of fifty-six million seven hundred thousand Leones was part of this standing formula prepared to facilitate payment exercise.
Counsel Khadija Bangura drew the attention of the witness to another letter dated 19th January 2018. Mohamed Daboh explained that the letter is a request for the release of funds for the payment of stipends and allowances to workers in the youths in drainage Project for three months covering January to March in 2017.
Having examined the letter, defense counsel asked the witness if he would agree with him that dump vehicles were hired to transport the refuse from drainages. In reply, the witness agreed with him.
During the cross examination by Counsel Ibrahim Idriss Mansaray representing person of interest.
Counsel asked if witness would agree with him that the budget offers a whole picture of the project as conducted in the 13 districts in the country.
The other facts that also came out during the cross examination are that, the youths in drainage project is a capital intensive one, and must involve huge amount of money for effective implementation.
It was also established that,the project was not meant to generate reserve for the government which means it cannot undertake any activity without funding from an external source. The project implementation unit in the Ministry of Youth Affairs enjoyed some level of autonomy in the implementation of the project, youth in drainage.
Meanwhile, the project manager for the national youth farm project Mustapha Turay who previously testified before the commission also made another appearance before the commission to shed light on the project finances.
In his testimony, he presented records to the commission involving the proceeds on the sale of the farm harvest which, he said was deposited into the Koya Rural Community development Bank project account.
Pa Santigie Kargbo, head of the Barke Curve Village, land holding family had alleged in his earlier testimony to the Commission that that the project manager, Mustapha Turay deducted moneys and commissions on the compensation paid to them on behalf of government for their land at Masalia,Barke Curve and Masourie villages. Mustapha Turay who was originally a witness has now become a person of interest in the ongoing commissions of Inquiry.