News

By Mabinty M. Kamara

The government of Sierra Leone is set to terminate the contract of First Tricon, the company constructing the long delayed Kenema township road.

An official said the decision was due to the delay in the completion of the contract which was blamed on the company.

The contract was first awarded in 2016 by the Ernest Bai Koroma administration. It followed cries of neglect from the people of Kenema in terms of the deteriorating nature of their roads.

By Newman Anthony Levey in Bo

Police in Bo say they have seized a huge consignment of fuel destined for neighboring Liberia.

The fuel was contained in 329 five-gallon sized rubbers.

A police spokesman told Politico that several arrests were made as a result of raids conducted on Friday.

The raids were conducted with support from the bike riders in the Bo township, who had complained that fuel stations were refusing to sell fuel to them and instead were selling to hoarders at a higher price.

By Francis H. Murray

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed an indictment against three officials of the National Revenue Authority (NRA) for allegedly misappropriating public revenue worth over five billion leones (Le5bn).

The Commission, in a statement on Friday, said all three officials have been charged accordingly and were expected to be arraigned later this month.

All three of the accused worked in the Report Processing and Return Payment (RPRP) Department of the NRA.

By Hajaratu Kalokoh

Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio has discussed his plans for the education sector with the United Arab Emirates based group, Global Education Management System (GEMS), which he asked for support to attain his objectives.

GEMS is a leading global advisory and educational management firm that pioneers educational development around the world.

A delegation from the group met with the president on Wednesday at State Lodge in Freetown.

By Newman Anthony Levey 

Police in Bo say they are investigating the death of an unidentified man in a mining pit in Valunia Chiefdom.

Eyewitness accounts suggest that the victim died after the pit he was digging for minerals collapsed on him.

According to the landlord of the mining site, which is in Bomahun Village, Karim Lahai, he was away when the incident happened on Saturday, 8^th February, and he only got to know when he returned a day after the incident.

By Mabinty M. Kamara

Amidst public outcry over the increase in the cost of acquiring passport, the Sierra Leone Immigration Department have defended the move, saying they had to honor the contract signed with the company printing it.

Last week the price of a passport was suddenly increased from Le750, 000 to Le950, 000.

By Francis H. Murray

The government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, has said that the delay in salary payment for January was due to high domestic and external debt inherited from the previous administration.

In a statement released by the ministry on Thursday, it explained that the government also had to embark on “pro-poor service delivery”, forcing it to redivert available resources.