Contrary to damning allegations by some quarters of the local media that the Management of Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) is involve in racketeering, it is the Management that actually exposed the illegal activities of some unscrupulous staff at the Management Information Service (MIS) Office of the Authority.

According to report, it was the Deputy Executive Director, James Bio, who blew the lid off the racketeering at the MIS Office that has caused unprecedented financial damage to the Authority.

Immediately he discovered the racketeering at the MIS Office, the Deputy Executive Director wasted no time in reporting the matter at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters in Freetown for investigation.  “We are surprised that some media institutions are reporting that the SLRSA Management is involved in the racketeering being investigated by the police; no, it was the Management that exposed the racketeering at the Management Information Service (MIS) Office that has cost the Authority hundreds of millions of Leones,” a senior official at SLRSA remarked.

According to the Satellite Newspaper, senior official furthered that the SLRSA Management under the leadership of the new Executive Director, Rev. Smith Senesie, is working with prudence to instil sanity in the administration by eliminating all the illegal deals which unscrupulous staff members are involved in, adding that they will do everything in their power to block all leakages at the Authority. The senior official extolled the resilience, commitment and experience of the new Executive Director, Rev. Smith Senesie whose leadership he said has brought some positive change to the administration of the Authority.

“I want the public to know that in every institution you must have some bad eggs that do things out of selfishness and greed instead of doing them in the interest of the institution they work for,” said the senior official, adding, “The police are doing their investigation unfettered and we want justice to take its course because the illegal operations of those involved in the racketeering have cost the Authority serious financial damages.”

It could be recalled that whilst the Authority was successfully changing from ordinary licence to biometric system, officials attached to the MIS Office were surreptitiously busy issuing out the old system of licence and collecting mouth-watering sums of money from unsuspecting drivers and riders whose licences had expired and were desperate to have them renewed.

Meanwhile, suspects arrested from the MIS Office are still very reluctant to open up to investigators at the CID Headquarters according to report.