The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Sierra Leone’s Parliament has addressed recent media speculations regarding the Auditor General’s Report for the financial year 2023.

In a statement released by the Parliamentary and Public Relations Department, the committee, chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, confirmed that it had engaged with the Vote Controllers from the Offices of the President and Vice President concerning the audit queries raised in the report.

The PAC emphasised that the Vote Controllers from both offices will appear before the committee as part of the standard parliamentary oversight process. It said that hearings will be conducted by the rules of procedure, as outlined in Parliament’s Standing Orders.

This clarification comes in response to speculative reports suggesting otherwise. The PAC reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and accountability in handling matters related to public funds.

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The Auditor-General’s Report is published annually, providing an overview of the operations of public institutions. While there has been a noticeable decrease in instances of misconduct in recent years, the reports continue to highlight violations of financial and procurement regulations associated with corruption.

In November 2021, President Julius Maada Bio suspended the Auditor-General, Lara Taylor-Pearce and her deputy Tamba Momoh without a clear explanation. Rights groups criticised the government calling for her reinstatement. However, a Tribunal set up to look into the matter, said Taylor-Pearce and her deputy were guilty of misconduct.

However, the Rights groups said the Tribunal’s report failed to state “the specific misconduct and performance issues it investigated.”