CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Edward Kwame Yankson, Sierra Leone, 1998
THEME = CORRUPTION
The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP)
- government led by President Tejan Kabbah -
has begun a mass anti-corruption campaign
The move against corruption, is intended to weed out all corrupt elements working in government ministries and parastatals, and hence improve the country's economy. It is also geared towards the government's pledge to uphold the principles of transparency and accountability as a means of sustaining Sierra Leone's hard-earned democracy.
President Kabbah is viewed by most Sierra Leoneans as lukewarm in taking firm decisions against certain government officials who default in the implementation of public functions. He now has in his team, a hardliner and technocrat whose primary interest is to see the country at the apex of global development. Dr.James Jonah, who used to be Sierra Leone's permanent representative to the United Nations is now President Kabbah's Minister of Finance, Development and Economic Planning. Dr Jonah is spearheading the anti-corruption campaign, and his immaculate record has gained him the nation's support.
Dr.Johan indicated how serious he was, by sacking 21 accountants and sub-accountants in his own ministry, who had collaborated with other accountants in the southern, eastern and northern provinces of Sierra Leone, to rob the country of some US $500,000. This theft was uncovered by an audit review committee headed by the Accountant General. The team discovered fictitious payroll vouchers with names of ghost workers, forged signatures on receipt books etc. Once the audit has been completed in the western area, those have been accused, will have to stand trial.
The Sierra Leone cabinet's latest decision to sack the management of the Sierra Leone State Lottery Company, has instilled confidence, that maybe the impoverished nation is heading for better times. This company, known as LOTTO, has for the past five years, lived in a world of its own with a cabal of corrupt senior management referred to as the "untouchables". They succeeded in buying over any cabinet minister who supervised them, hence making it impossible for government to probe their activities. Any attempt by central government to expose corruption in LOTTO, was always sabotaged by certain government officials who wanted to make certain they had a part of the nation's cake. But Dr.Johan and Trade Minister, Allie Bangura personally went to LOTTO's Skaka Stevens Street offices in Freetown, to give the five senior managers their marching orders. LOTTO's board of directors was dissolved at the same time.
The Ministers of Finance and Trade will jointly manage the parastatal as a temporary measure, until a new management team is selected. The Chairman of the LOTTO board, Mrs.Zainab Bangura, who was also coordinator for a non-governmental organisation called Campaign for Good Governance, sent in her letter of resignation prior to the government's action.
It should be remembered that Mrs.Bangura had been appointed by President Kabbah in 1996, and she was the one who started the campaign to uproot the corrupt LOTTO management. This management had been appointed by Captain Strasser's military regime in 1992.
The British Auditing Firm, Panell Kerr Foster, was hired by the SLPP government to review the activities of LOTTO covering the period 1994-96. This investigation cost the government of Sierra Leone about US $50,000. The British accountants found the LOTTO management wanting, but sabotage and political pressure from certain government officials related to the LOTTO "mafia" or who were on the mafia's payroll, attempted to suppress the Panell Kerr Foster report, hence preventing the government from taking stringent action. However, mounting pressure from the independent press, forced the SLPP government to probe LOTTO, plus other government owned parastatals such as the National Power Authority, the Sierra Leone Ports Authority, the Sierra Leone Airports Authority and the Sierra Leone Telecommunications Company. Parliamentary Investigate Committees have been set up to probe these institutions. This move emanated from the findings of the Panell Kerr Foster audit report on LOTTO.
LOTTO workers went on a sit-down strike on 28 July 1998, calling for the dismissal of the five-man management team. The agitated workers outlined a list of grievances, paramount being allegations of widespread corruption, financial irregularities, victimization, poor conditions of service and lack of promotion and increment for over four years.
Sierra Leoneans have expressed satisfaction over government decision to combat corruption. According to political pundits, Sierra Leone's economy will be properly balanced by the end of this anti-corruption exercise and every worker will earn a living wage
END
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
PeaceLink 1998 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement