It is not clear what the group did with the money in connection with the project but it is clear that the project was used to sweep, brush, clear and clean the silt and other filths from the drainages across the country. The project is currently on hold.
Other groups Music for Girls were also mentioned in receiving huge sums of money. According to the financial records of the Accountant at the Ministry of Youth, Bashiru Kamara, Street Life collected Le300 million whiles Music for Girls received Le50 million.
Dates for appearance of all the invited people have not be slated. However, Hon. Justice Georgewill has ordered the Commission to reach out with all of them in the interest of fair hearings.
It can also be recalled that Hon. Justice Biobele Georgewill on 25th March, 2019 ordered that three All People’s Congress (APC) Members of Parliament (MP) appear before the Commissions of Inquiry to explain their roles in the Youth in Fisheries Project.
Three MPs include Hon. Amadu Kanu of Constituency 093, Hon. Kamokoh Conteh of Constituency 108 and Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara of Constituency 069 respectively.
The invitation is part of ongoing investigations into the Ministry of Youth Affairs. As part of the investigations, four projects are under scrutiny; Youth in Drainage, Youth in Fisheries, National Youth Farm and National Youth Village.
Few weeks ago the Project Manager of the Youth in Fisheries project, Joseph Maada Lahai testified as a witness in Commission No.1, where he mentioned the names of all three MPs and their involvements with the project.
According to his testimony, Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara was part of the project implementation committee and therefore used his position to borrow Le2.7 million from the project.
Lahai said: “When I took over the project, I made efforts to reach all of them and convince them to pay. I also wrote official letters to them in respect of this.”
Hon. Amadu Kanu and Hon. Kamokoh Conteh were named in respect of boats that were taken from the project. The project manager said as part of the project, 70 fishing boats were bought, 60 of these boats had outboard engines.
“These boats were meant to be given out to youth and they will pay for the boats over a certain period. The money will then be used to buy more boats to be given to other youth,” Lahai said in his testimony.
According to Lahai, Hon. Kanu took five boats whiles Hon. Conteh took one boat. In his testimony, Lahai said both MPs have never paid a single cent for the boats. According to the project, the cost of a boat with an outboard engine is Le35 million, whiles a boat without an engine is Le15 million. It is not clear what type of boat they loaned from the project.
In Sierra Leone, MPs have immunity from prosecution, but this invitation to these MPs to clear their names is not yet a prosecution.
