An official of the Commission said on Monday that the West African Examination Council (WAEC) is a key interest in the ongoing investigations following the arrest of 71 suspects last week.

The suspects, who the Commission said comprise of students and teachers, were rounded up as part of a joint operation by the Police and ACC officials.

The Commission said it had acted on intelligence report. The suspects were gathered at a private residence in Aberdeen in the west end of Freetown.

They have since been charged, although 62 of the accused were released on bail, said Patrick Sandi, Director of Communication and Outreach at the ACC.

He explained to journalists that the remaining nine suspects still in detention are suspected to be the ring leaders and that releasing them could jeopardize their investigation.

He stressed however that the ACC is treating the investigation very seriously, adding “What’s critical at this stage is that the people of this country should continue to rest their faith on the ACC, especially with regards this examination malpractice, because it is something everyone knows has a damaging effect on our integrity and the seriousness of the reputational damage it brings to this country cannot be overemphasized,” Mr. Sandi told journalists on Monday in Freetown.

He noted that since WAEC is responsible when it comes to access to examination question papers and answer sheets, it will have to explain how the papers were accessed by the suspects.

“They (WAEC) are also of interest to the investigation because the buck stops with WAEC in terms of question papers and answer booklets,” he said