A failed President is intolerant to critical views and reports from any agency no matter how credible and legal the report are. President Julius Maada Bio is no difference.

SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) government is very allergic to honest and critical reports since it has failed in every section of governance. PAOPA’S failure began the day power was entrusted to them to man the country’s affairs. Months have gone after the two heads of ASSL (Audit Service Sierra Leone) were relieved of their duty with threats of bringing them before a tribunal for alleged professional breaches. The Auditor-General and the Deputy, Lara Taylor Pearce and Tamba Momoh respectively were in charge of ASSL, a body that ensure financial probity in the public sector until their suspension close to two months ago.

Their Lay off, according to government, was referred to as a suspension meaning they could come back if no adverse findings are made against them by the proposed tribunal. It is a routine that is generally accepted in almost every public section institution in Sierra Leone that a government official who has been cleared of an allegation must come back to work.

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The tribunal to which the duo will be subjected is yet to come to fruition although there was much euphoria about its formation at the initial stage. Government made Sierra Leone believe that the official would be investigated, and the report put out to the public.

Although government was not specific with the allegations against the auditors-General, spokesmen however informed the press that the official breaches finance and procurement laws of Sierra Leone.

Minister of Information and Communication, Mohamed Rahman Swarray did assure the people of Sierra Leone that the official would not go free for the illegal action. They must be made to face the music although he too was not clear about the actual crimes the official would be roped in.

The promise of setting up an investigative body for the two officials was also very strong. The Minister told Sierra Leone that judges of high integrity and experience would be brought into the tribunal to investigate the officials. The Judicial and Legal Service Commission (JLSC), an agency chaired by the head of the judiciary, Chief Justice Babatunde Edwards bears the onus of appointing judges for the tribunal.

To date, no judge had been appointed despite Lara’s readiness to attend the tribunal anyways, anytime. The ASSL head knew just quite well that her hands had never been on the loot, and no one could threaten her with an investigative committee.

According to Nightwatch Newspaper, one of JLSC officials, Basita Michael, a lawyer of good years standing resigned her seat owing to visible illegality. Sierra Leone’s supreme law provided that the procedures used for the removal of a judge are the same applicable to the auditor-general. The first step to follow is the setting up of the tribunal prior to the suspension. The constitution says in section 137 that the question of the suspension of the judge must be referred to a tribunal. The most popular question is how the President can suspend when there is no tribunal to which the question of suspending Lara ought to have been referred.

It is cleared that the President steeped outside his powers but did away with it owing to hero-worshipping. No government official would dare tell the President to reconsider his actions for fear of losing their jobs. Reliable sources have however intimidated this press that the President is under pressure back the sacked Auditor General.