Chernoh Bah of the Africanist Press has asserted that why the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Sierra Leone should reward informants and whistleblowers when there are free evidence of corruption on their website.

In response to ACC press release, Chernoh Bah started that, “The ACC says they’ll pay for information about corruption. Why should they pay a “bribe” for info when there is free evidence on the #AfricanistPress website, including the case of James Bio and Jacqueline Khoury at the Petroleum Directorate?”

On Thursday 3 March 2022, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Sierra Leone informed the general public that it has reintroduced the reward scheme for informants, whistleblowers and citizens who support them in its fight against corruption.

According to the ACC, the reward scheme for informant and whistleblowers is a bid to sustain, consolidate and improve on the remarkable gains the country has made thus far in the fight against corruption.

“In that vein, any member of the public who provides cogent and useful information to the Commission that leads to the successful prosecution and conviction of, and/or recovery of funds or property from a corrupt person (including public officers) will be rewarded 10 percent of the total amount or value of the 10 percent withheld by the Commission for its operations as per law,” ACC stated.

“For instance, where the information provided by an informant or whistleblower leads to the recovery of One Billion Leones (Le 1,000,000,000), the ACC will, as stipulated in Section 139 of the Anti-Corruption Act, 2008 as amended in 2019, withhold One Hundred Million Leones (Le 100,000,000) of the said sum, which constitutes 10 percent of the proceeds,” they added.

The Commission further noted that, “Thereafter, the Commission will pay the sum of Ten Million Leones (Le 10,000,000) in full to the informant or whistleblower, which would amount to 10 percent of the proceeds withheld as in the aforesaid example.”

The Africanist Press has over the years been conducting investigations on the corrupt practices and financial mismanagement of President Julius Maada Bio and his administration.