By Abass Jalloh
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has confirmed that Ibrahim Sorie Kamara, the Senior Commissioner at the Domestic Tax Department at the National Revenue Authority (NRA), was awarded a Philosophy of Doctorate (Ph.D.) degree from two “unaccredited” institutions but that he did not use it to gain promotion.
It follows allegations that Ibrahim Sorie Kamara acquired a fake Ph.D. degree and that he used the said degree to gain promotion at the NRA.
A statement from the ACC, dated 14th June 2022, confirmed that in 2019, Ibrahim Sorie Kamara was awarded an honorary degree in Taxation by the London Graduate School and the Commonwealth University Business, Arts Technology. It said both institutions are “unaccredited and therefore not competent to award Ph.D.”.
The ACC also confirmed five thousand, five hundred United States Dollars (USD$ 5,500) was paid for the Ph.D. degree and that the said payment was not made by the NRA but from the “personal funds” of Kamara.
On his credentials and qualification, the ACC stated that in 2001 he had attained a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) with Honours degree in Accounting, an Affiliate Certificate from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), and a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Taxation.
The statement added that his promotion from Commissioner to Senior Commissioner was “squarely based on competence and experience” having worked at the NRA for over 18 years and not contingent on the unaccredited Ph.D., which he was awarded while already in post, stating that the decision was taken by the Board and Management of NRA, and other members of staff also benefited from the said decision.
“The element of an ‘advantage’ being conferred on him within the meaning of the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008 as Amended in 2019 has not been met, and therefore the ACC has closed the investigation and will proceed with others,” the statement reads.
According to the ACC, the investigation confirmed that Kamara “had attained a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Accounting in 2001, Affiliate Certificate from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA), and a Master of Philosophy in Taxation.”
He has been advised not to use the Ph.D for any advantage in the public service, ACC says.
The ACC disclosed it is also “investigating other individuals and institutions whose staff are alleged to have ‘fake degrees/certificates’ and had used same to confer an advantage on themselves and will continue to update the public accordingly as those investigations are concluded.”
A whistleblower known as Dr. Idriss Lahai has over the past few months launched a campaign against fake educational certificates conferred on members of the Sierra Leonean Society from unaccredited institutions both locally and internally. He’s been naming public officials in possession of such degrees on his social media accounts.
His campaign gained public attention, prompting action from the relevant authorities in Sierra Leone.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (15/06/22)
