AYV News, February 27, 2026
The Director of Public Education and Outreach of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Abubakarr Turay, has told this medium that there has been a very high assets declaration compliance rate among public officers in the past years.
Mr Turay was responding to questions about the assets declaration regime following recent calls by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the country to make the system more robust.
“Our assets declaration exercise is done every two years, and the last exercise was in 2024, in which an unprecedented 99.54 percent of eligible declarants declared their assets with the Commission,” he said.
Explaining the reasons for this very high rate of compliance, Mr Turay said the Commission moved the exercise from manual to an entirely digitalised system, which makes public officers declare their assets online. “We have also ensured massive public education and punitive measures against defaulters,” he said.
The Director said the salaries of a total number of 1,541 public officers were withheld by the Accountant General’s office when the ACC Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala sent a defaulters’ list demanding that punitive action be taken.
“I can also safely state that almost all of those in the defaulters’ list were public officers in the lower cadres. In fact, we have a 100 percent compliance rate among top government officials,” Mr Turay said.
In the start of the declaration exercise in 2024, the Commission targeted 17,253 public officers. The Director of Public Education and Outreach said, however, that 15,712, which is 91.1 percent, declared by the end of that year. He said the punitive measures taken in 2025 ensured that almost all defaulters declared their assets by the end of 2025, raising the compliance rate to 99.54 percent. He said it was possible that the 80 people who did not declare could have left the country, passed away or been indisposed.
Mr Turay said the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008, as amended in 2019, makes provision for public officers from grade 7 and above, those with financial responsibilities, those holding elective offices or presidential/government appointments to declare their assets, income and liabilities to the Commission. “They should do their declaration upon assumption of office and every two years. Those leaving office due to retirement, resignation or termination are also required to declare their assets,” he noted.
He said, through the Directorate of Science and Technology, the Commission is about to roll out a new assets declaration online platform that is much more user-friendly.
