By Musa Paul Feika
Sierra Leone Parliament has paid $100, 000 to an Israeli citizen to get a document crucial to the renovation of the parliamentary building at Tower Hill community in Freetown.
Chairman, Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Honourable Sengepoh Solomon Thomas said they paid $100,000 to an Israeli national to get the document for the House of Parliament.
Honourable Thomas said they needed to get all documents for the facelift of parliament.
“Initially, we thought that we had all the necessary documents, but later we came to know that they were not available unless they paid the aforesaid amount to an Israeli national to get the document,” he said.
The Deputy Speaker was stunned and shocked asking what the works ministry was doing referring to Sierra Leone as “a sorry state.”
He made the statement last Monday during the committee’s hearings in parliament.
In a related development, Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO) also came under the spotlight for lack of relevant documents for their lands.
SALWACO, he said, had no conveyance for the assets belonging to them adding that certain people had encroached on the company’s land in Kenema in Eastern Sierra Leone.
“The lack of conveyance and other documents by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) prompted people to encroach and build houses on government lands nationwide,” he stressed.
He also urged the company’s Managing Director, George Sandi to write a letter and address it to PAC and Lands Ministry to ensure that they surveyed all the lands belonging to them including all public institutions.
“How can MDAs have assets without conveyance to those assets?” he wondered adding it was the main reason people squatted on the land.
The Deputy Speaker however commended ex-lands minister, Daniel Sandy for his proactive move in bulldozing illegal buildings put up close to parliament.
Honourable Thomas urges MDAs to have conveyances for all assets belonging to enforce their rights.
He said it was sad that government did not have conveyance or evidence of property they were claiming ownership of.