The Management of the Sierra Leone National Stadium has been dragged to court by the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) for refusing to pay the contributions for its employees/workers.

The National Stadium Management is charged with the responsibility to run, as well as man the affairs of the country’s national stadium in Freetown.

It was learned that the stadium is undergoing a massive facelift in order to bring it to accepted status for stadia in the world.

According to NASSIT, the stadium management has reneged on its duty as an employer to pay social security bills for its employees; adding that the act of the stadium’s management, is in contravention with Section 32 (1) (c) of the National Social Security and Insurance Trust Act of 2001.

The paragraph requests every employer in the country to pay a 15 per cent monthly contribution for each employee working under the directives of the said employer or organisation. Sadly, the national stadium’s management has been lethargic in ensuring that all its employees’ NASSIT contributions are paid; noting that the stadium management has reneged on the said contribution for almost two years now.

As the body responds to collect and keep funds for every Sierra Leonean employee, particularly, to support the employee upon reaching his/her retirement age. “We have realised that the stadium management has stopped paying the NASSIT’s contributions for its employees for almost two years,” NASSIT asserted,” noting that, the act has contravened Section 32 (1) (c) of the NASSIT Act of 2001. (Diazepam)

It is against this background that the social security insurance organisation decided to drag the national stadium’s management along with its Manager – Paul Damuley to court, the organisation said.

In accordance with the details of the offence, both defendant and the stadium management and manager Paul Damuley being an establishment and employers respectively, under the NASSIT Act of Section 32 (1) (c) of the NASSIT Act.

According to the Plaintiff (NASSIT), the Defendants (Paul, the stadium management etc), have stopped paying the said contribution from April 2021 to January 2023, stating that the total sum which the management owes NASSIT, is Seventy-Three Million, Eight Hundred and Sixty-Eight Thousand, Three Hundred and Ninety-Four Leones and Ninety-Five Cents (Le 73, 868,394,95), as arrears to NASSIT on behalf of its employees.

It was also learned that the Defendants failed to turn up for the hearing, hence the Plaintiff’s counsel – Lawyer UDF Sesay applied for a bench warrant, which Magistrate Mark Ngegba granted thereof to compel the two Defendants to appear before the court by all means. The matter was adjourned for hearing to 24th February 2023 in the country’s Magistrate Court on Pademba Road, Freetown.