The Branch Manager of the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) in Kenema has been suspended for two weeks, demoted, and ordered to repay SLe11,000, which was discovered missing during an audit.

The decision was taken by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in Parliament, following a review of the Auditor General’s 2021/22 report that highlighted financial discrepancies at the Kenema office.

Chairman of the PAC, Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, expressed disappointment over the branch manager’s failure to detect the missing funds until it was flagged in the audit.

“If we check your salary, it exceeds that of a Member of Parliament,” Hon. Conteh said, stressing the manager’s responsibility to monitor the financial operations of the office.

He noted that such lapses should never go unnoticed given the regular financial turnovers carried out by tellers at the branch.

Hon. Conteh further criticized the bank involved for employing individuals who were not adequately monitoring transactions, resulting in the financial misconduct going unchecked.

He emphasized that the failure to conduct proper audits and internal checks contributed to the oversight, adding, “Every day, tellers complete turnover and consolidate tickets, yet this lapse went unnoticed.”

Beyond addressing the financial mismanagement, Hon. Conteh touched on broader concerns related to government budget allocations.

He revealed that the Ministry of Finance has received funding requests amounting to SLe198 million from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

These requests are currently under review by the PAC for approval, underscoring the importance of financial accountability across all government entities.

The case of the SLRSA Kenema branch is part of a larger push by Parliament to ensure greater transparency and responsibility within government agencies.

As the investigation continues, PAC has vowed to maintain a vigilant eye on all future financial dealings within the SLRSA and other agencies, encouraging regular audits and strict adherence to financial management protocols to prevent similar occurrences in the future.