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The Commissioner for the Anti-Corruption Commission, Francis Ben Kaifala on Friday 10th February 2023 address the staff of the Commission at the annual two-day staff retreat and training program organized by the Intelligence and Investigations Department, ACC at the Companero Hotel, Newton, Western Area Rural, Freetown.
The two-day intensive training and lecture also included presentations on many pertinent topics made by the leadership of the Department and other Senior Officers of the Commission which was geared towards strengthening the unit and reaffirming the constituted fight against corruption in the country.
Speaking on the difference between money laundering and corruption, Kaifala described money laundering as an act that was done by drug traffickers and other people involved in some unlawful activities, before politicians and public officials saw this as a perfect avenue to accumulate ill-gotten wealth and that is the status quo.
He said the normal mode of investigations would not be sufficient to prove the criminal guilty as they spend a lot of time planning, adding that the team must re-strategize its approach, disclosing that corporate organisations often aid and abet money launderers.
Commending the work of the intelligence and investigative techniques of the Elite Scorpion Squad, he said, the squad have raised so much awareness and heightened the consciousness of people to understand that the fight against corruption is not business as usual and the consequences involved.
He maintained that the belief and confidence the public has in the ACC is great and ever-raw, referencing 2019 published National Corruption Perception Survey which indicated that 92% of the general citizenry has confidence in the capacity of the ACC to fight corruption.
He also mentioned that a single phone call threat from members of the public to the ACC sends a strong signal and will be notably taken into high consideration, admonishing the officers to dig deep into their investigations as public officials are now more creative in being corrupt.
