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The Guma Valley Water Company has the primary objective of providing safe and affordable drinking water to the residents of Greater Freetown and beyond.
Unfortunately, the company continues to demonstrate its incompetence to manage the sector as it is clear that resident of Freetown has been suffering from acute water shortages over the years. Against this background, the Guma Valley Water Company is not unconnected to allegations of corruption, which was clearly stated in the Auditor General’s Report for the year 2020. The seriousness of the massive corruption allegations warranted the intervention of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which stated in its second media release that actions and steps have been taken to address critical issues raised in the Audit Reports of Sierra Leone 2019 and 2020.
These adventures, according to the Commission, focused on aspects of possible or alleged corruption and conduct inconsistent with the provision(s) in the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008 as amended in 2019. “After a thorough review, analysis of the aforementioned Reports, the Commission initiated actions; to investigate, prosecute, or recovering public funds, public revenue, public property, as the case be, under Section 7, and 48 of the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008 as amended in 2019, respectively.”
The 2020 Auditor General’s Report highlighted that the total sum of Three Billion, One Hundred and Seventy-Three Million, Five Hundred and Twenty-Nine Thousand, Six-Hundred and One Leones (Le3,173,539,601) was deducted as Pay As You Earn (PAYE) taxes from staff salaries and allowances and not paid into the National Revenue Authority (NRA) by the Management of the Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC).
According to the Standard Times Newspaper, the ACC investigation confirms that the PAYE for the years 31st December 2018 and 2019 were not paid to the NRA by the Management of Guma Valley Water Company.
“The Commission, therefore, instructed the payment of the money due as PAYE to NRA and as of 23rd March 2022, Five Hundred Million Leones (Le500,000,000) has been paid to NRA,” the commission stated and added that they remaining amount of Two Billion, Six-Hundred and Seventy-Three Million, Five Hundred and Twenty-Nine Thousand, Six Hundred and One Leones (Le2,673,529,601) remains as PAYE to be paid to the NRA by the GVWC.
Although the Company has committed to pay the same over time, it is yet to tell the public s to when it intends to refund the public’s money.
