Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Francis Ben Kaifala has displayed 4.3 billion old leones recovered from the alleged corruption matter involving some staff of the Ministry of Finance and the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA).
The ACC Commissioner said the days of impunity in Sierra Leone are long gone, “I made this very clear during the ministry of information’s press conference on accountability where we laid bare all we have done and the immediate recovery of Le4.3 Billion Old Leones Cash from those who were involved in the SLRA/Finance corruption saga while we continue investigating and holding all accountable”.
In a similar development, the Commissioner has said the fight against corruption is built on four pillars; Investigation, Prosecution, Public Education and Prevention.
According to the Commissioner, all of them go together with none of them subordinate to the other, while hailing the work of the Commission over the years.
He referenced local and international corruption watchdogs who have rated Sierra Leone’s fight against corruption very high, while mentioning the consortium of Public Management and Finance, MCC, Afrobarometer and Transparency International to have rated Sierra Leone very high.
Notable among these is the MCC ratings where Sierra Leone moved from a failed position in 2017 to an excellent position from 2018 to 2023.
According to the ACC Commissioner, they currently have 36 cases in court and 12 are reserved for judgment, disclosing that officials of the current government are amongst those 12 awaiting judgment.
He was saying this to respond to claims that the ACC only prioritised recovery when it involved government officials.
ACC Commissioner confirmed that the Commission has been investigating the alleged money laundering of former President Ernest Bai Koroma and they will update the public when the investigation concludes.
He said the ACC has no power to remove anyone from office that the Commission is investigating, adding that it is only when the matter is charged to the court that the individual can be asked to vacate the office.
