By Nasratu Kargbo
Deputy Director of Budget at the Ministry of Finance (MoF) Jacob Tenga Sessie and six other persons are still under custody at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for allegedly diverting 6.5 Billion old Leones to a community bank in Kabala, money which was meant for a consultancy firm for the construction of the Kenema-Pendembu Road.
In an interview with Politico on the 15th of January 2024, Public Relations Officer at the ACC Sylvanus Blake said they have not granted bail on the said matter.
“The seven people named in the letter from the Ministry of Finance are under arrest, they have been with us since last week, whilst the investigation is ongoing,” Blake said.
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) in a press release dated 12th January 2024 announcing the report made to the anti-graft agency about the alleged corruption activities noted that the issue was brought to the ACC’s attention after conducting an internal audit review on several payments made in favour of Edwards Davies and Associates Ltd, the consultancy firm hired by Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) for work on the construction of the Kenema-Pendembu Road.
“We discovered that these payments were diverted to a fictitious account opened at Kabala Community Bank” the release states.
The release states that in December 2023 a total of 6.5 billion old Leones was processed by the Accountant General’s Department (AGD) for the payment of Edwards Davies and Associates Ltd
It explained that their investigation revealed a handful of SLRA, MoF, and AGD staff conspired to open a fictitious bank in Kabala instead of Rokel Commercial Bank where the consultancy firm has its account.
The Ministry through its release explained that after its internal audit an official report was made to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on the 8th of January 2024 for detailed investigations on the matter, further stating that on the 12th of January this year, the ministry also submitted a copy of its internal audit report to the ACC to aid their investigation.
The six other persons involved in the alleged diversion of public funds are: John Ellie who is the Principal Accountant at the AGD, Philip Yomba and Ibrahim Bangura - Senior Accountants at AGD, Starlyn Kemoh and Joseph Johnson Accountants at AGD and Emmanuel Smart -Accounting Officer at the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA).
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