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A recent audit of the Sierra Leone Airports Authority (SLAA) has uncovered a troubling situation regarding the termination benefits of 645 former employees. The audit, covering the 2022 financial year, revealed a series of concerning discrepancies and raised questions about the transparency and timeliness of the benefit payments.
According to the audit findings, as of December 31, 2022, these 645 employees were still listed on SLAA’s payroll records. However, they were abruptly terminated on January 19, 2023, leaving behind a significant sum in unpaid end-of-service benefits: SLE 171,052,649. (brandxhuaraches.com) Shockingly, these benefits were neither paid to the former employees nor properly disclosed in SLAA’s financial statements.
The Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL) has responded to this discrepancy by issuing strong recommendations. They urge the SLAA Human Resources Manager to work with the Ministry of Finance to establish a system for prompt payment of termination benefits to these employees, whose job losses coincided with the transition from SLAA to the Summa Group. Furthermore, the ASSL insists that SLAA disclose the outstanding benefits in their financial statements and provide the ASSL with supporting evidence.
SLAA management acknowledges the issue and claims that the Government of Sierra Leone, along with the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, is actively working to resolve it. They assure the public that the final benefit calculations have been submitted to the vice president for approval.
However, the audit reveals further inconsistencies. An internal letter dated March 20, 2023, obtained during the verification process, shows a request for facilitating the early payment of these benefits. Yet, there is no concrete evidence to suggest that any payments have actually been made.
