Is the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) undermining the efforts of President Julius Maada Bio and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Parliament in their fight against corruption by public officials?
This is the question posed to nightwatch by concerned citizens in light of a syndicated news story in several leading newspapers claiming that the ACC has exonerated the Managing Director (MD) of the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank (SLCB), Yusufu Abdul Silla, of all allegations into his procurement of 15 vehicles for the bank and a vehicle for his official use.
The claims of the ACC exonerating the SLCB MD comes in the midst of officials of the bank being queried by the PAC over the findings of the Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL) as stated in the Auditor General’s (AG) Report of 2022.
Sierra Leoneans that flooded nightwatch with questions pointed out that while the president is out seeking funding for his government’s activities the ACC is busy exonerating someone that spent so much on a vehicle ($140,000), money they said could have been used by the government to fund many socioeconomic activities, while the PAC is still doing its work.
Sierra Leone continues to suffer from impunity by duty bearers who routinely flout financial protocols in their handling of public money entrusted to them to conduct the work of the people and government of Sierra Leone.
Despite the AG’s reports tallying such financial improprieties, people like Yusufu Silla, MD of the SLCB, routinely get what amounts to a slap on the wrist while their crimes and actions against the people and state go unpunished.
The case of the SLCB MD is one such case. According to concerned citizens and civil society activists, the reason they have taken such an active interest in this particular case is because it concerns or involves the head of a public financial institution, which institution above all else is supposed to handle money with high level of integrity and in strict obedience to the laws governing how the bank accepts and disburses money.
The Managing Director of the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank and others are facing the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Parliament over his procurement of vehicles for the bank including one for his official use that he reportedly spent $140,000 to procure among other issues stated in the AG’s report.
Members of the public following this sanction by the PAC are upset that the MD would drive such a highly expensive vehicle in the midst of the financial difficulties experienced by the majority of the people and while the head of state is traversing the world seeking investors to bring their businesses to our shores.
Such an action by the SLCB MD would have gone untold or swept under the carpet had it not been for the PAC of this Sixth Parliament debating the 2022 Auditor General’s Report. The public must be reminded that for the years covering 2018 to 2023 the AG’s reports were not debated in the House of Parliament, which, according to members of the public, led people like Yusufu Silla to think that they will not be held accountable for their reckless spending of the people’s money.
Therefore while the PAC is still querying the SLCB executives to give an account of issues at the bank as covered on the AG’s report, why is there a syndicated news story appearing in many newspapers alleging that the ACC has exonerated the SLCB MD, clearing him of all charges and accusations?
Can the ACC do such a thing while lawmakers are busy trying to get to the bottom of the actions of the MD and others at the bank who among other financially negligent behaviour, approved loans without supporting documents with posted results not matching actual figures?
Between the PAC and ACC, the public wants to know who has the authority to clear people of allegations of corrupt behaviour or mishandling of the people’s money.
And if the ACC did clear the SLCB MD as alleged in this syndicated news story, is this how the commission does press releases concerning cases of such significance to our anticorruption crusade, by having middle men journalists write and publish stories they syndicate in newspapers?
Upset and concerned members of the public are demanding clarification from the ACC in the form of a press release concerning this claim made in the media of their clearing of the SLCB MD, and clarification from the PAC on the same.
While the public is following the developments into the debating of the actions of public workers at the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, the concerned citizens say it is unethical for journalists to attempt to do a public relations spin aimed at confusing the people, making light of the effects of corruption on the economy, and for encouraging acts of impunity by people entrusted with public money.
Sierra Leoneans that spoke to this medium said the PAC should invite the ACC to give an account of their exoneration of the SLCB MD at the House of Parliament and that the newspapers that published such a story be queried by the Independent Media Commission (IMC) for allegedly acting with criminal intent by not first getting to the root of the purported ACC exoneration of the SLCB MD before publishing such a story.
It must be noted and recalled that the chairman of the PAC who doubles as the Deputy Speaker of the House recently advised public workers in government ministries, departments and agencies to ignore any summons by the ACC with regards the Auditor General’s report.