At the St. George’s Cathedral Hall, 3 Gloucester Street in Freetown, on January 4, 2023, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) discussed its position on the released 2021 Auditor General’s Report with representatives of the press and civil society organizations.

In his opening remarks, the Deputy Commissioner of ACC, Augustine Foday Ngobie, welcomed everyone and expressed his gratitude for attending the first press conference the Commission would host in 2023, which would center on the 2021 Auditor General’s Report. He declared that the ACC would always be held responsible for carrying out the country’s anti-corruption effort in the eyes of the people of Sierra Leone.

The Commissioner of the ACC Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. expressed his displeasure with the ongoing failure of MDAs to follow the recommendations of the Auditors in his presentation on the 2021 Auditor General’s Report, noting that the same problems kept coming up year after year. He continued by saying that everyone has a responsibility to take action against corruption, including administrators who should play a role and the ACC and other law enforcement agencies, who should always make sure people are held accountable for their deeds. “As a people, we must take our destinies seriously. We must not allow the same set of problems to hold us back, he said.

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The Auditor General’s Department was thanked for a job well done, Mr. Kaifala continued. This audit report confirms what experts have long maintained: an auditor should not be a gourd-hound; instead, he or her should offer professional advice based on accepted standards.

He continued, “Like other Auditor General’s Reports in the past, the majority of the issues captured are emanating from administrative lapses as people who should take responsibility to monitor, guide, direct, and manage the processes have failed to show the required leadership,” and that all Sierra Leoneans must willingly embrace the fight against corruption by taking deliberate and calculated actions.

Mr. Kaifala told reporters that many of the problems call for a quick solution, which investigators are already working on. He then highlighted areas and issues of interest to the ACC that will need its intervention or where it has already intervened. “Those who have not given us a credible account of the resources entrusted to them must be ready to do so right away. Ben Kaifala stated clearly, “I assure the people of Sierra Leone that they will be held accountable; all of them. The persuasive reasons they failed to present to the Auditors, which they fully know they must do, they are now going to do so with us at the ACC.

Highlighting the issues of concern to the ACC, contained in the 2021 Audit General’s Report as suspected misappropriation of state resources, Commissioner Ben Kaifala disclosed the following; that, an alleged estimated cash loss of $:3,523,588 (Three Million Five Hundred and Twenty-Three Thousand Five Hundred and Eighty-Eight United States Dollars), €183,949 (One Hundred and Eighty-Three Thousand Nine Hundred and Forty Nine Euros), and £ 752, 859 (Seven Hundred and Fifty-Two Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty-Nine Pounds) was reported at some of our Diplomatic Missions; an alleged estimated cash loss of Le:5,610,439,736 (Five Billion Six Hundred and Ten Billion Four Hundred and Thirty-Nine Thousand Seven Hundred and Thirty-Six Leones) was reported in 14 Local Councils; an alleged estimated cash loss of Le. 65,181,048,963 (Sixty Five Billion One Hundred and Eighty-One Million and Forty-Eight Thousand Nine Hundred and Sixty-Three Leones) plus $132,000 (One Hundred and Thirty-Two Thousand United States Dollars) was reported in revenue-generating entities; an alleged estimated cash loss of Le.560,204,104,073 (Five Hundred and Sixty Billion Two Hundred and Four Million One Hundred and Four Thousand and Seventy-Three Leones) was reported as tax liabilities and a further alleged estimated cash loss of Le.116,238,191,455 (One Hundred and Sixteen Billion Two Hundred and Thirty-Eight Million One Hundred and Ninety-One Thousand Four Hundred and Fifty-Five Leones) plus $338,424 (Three Hundred and Thirty-Eight Four Hundred and Twenty-Four Leones) was reported under the general category.

Commenting on the recurrence of the issues and accusations, the Commissioner also informed his audience that, in accordance with the Report, foreign missions had been once more found guilty by auditors, adding that, “…diplomatic missions have been operating as if they are not part of the Republic of Sierra Leone and the policies regulating the operations of public institutions. They don’t adhere to the greatest financial practices and protocols. He gave the Sierra Leoneans the assurance that all those responsible for the poorly managed resources would be held accountable.

A plenary session that allowed journalists to ask questions and get answers served as the event’s high point.