By Morlai Sesay
The Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission Sierra Leone, Francis Ben Kaifala, has informed a galaxy of journalists that they have concluded the investigation on the alleged corruption case against the former Director General of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), Joseph Kapuwa. The ACC Commissioner said the matter against the SLBC former Director General was a mere Management and Administrative issue. He said it was the ACC’s recommendation to the President through the Ministry of Information for Josepha Kapuwa to change leadership at the SLBC, precipitated the appointment of the former SLBC Director General to the Independent Media Commission (IMC)
In a brief reaction to a particular question regarding the corrupt cases that were alleged by the Former Director General of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Cooperation (SLBC), the commissioner revealed that based on what they at the Anti-Corruption Commission fully discovered regarding the Former SLBC Director General, was that the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Cooperation had been having serious issues as regards management and administration.
He explained that the Anti-Corruption Commission closely monitored the issue at SLBC and realized that the problem at the institution was not about the missing billions of Leones, which the public was mostly focused on, but that there were certain pitfalls at the institution that affected the institution from functioning the manner it is supposed to function accordingly. Kaifala stated that the Commission had to write to the government about the ongoing lapses at the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Cooperation (SLBC).
"We are not saying as a commission that it is because of the letter we wrote to the government that prompted the transfer of the Former SLBC Director General, but I can say with confidence that it played a part because we made our findings known to the government and then a decision was taken shortly after ", he said.
Speaking about the successes of the Anti-Corruption Commission from 2018 to date, Kaifala proudly highlighted the key factors contributing to Sierra Leone’s unprecedented achievements. He emphasized the significance of the 2008 Anti-Corruption Act, which granted the ACC extensive powers. One notable provision mentioned by Kaifala was the Revolutionary Assets Declaration Regime, which empowered the Commission to seize, freeze, enforce, and impose administrative sanctions. He explained that failure to declare assets could result in salary withholding and eventual dismissal from public office.
Commenting on the Commission's strategy to fight corruption, he emphasized that they have tirelessly worked on prevention, public education, and enforcement through investigation and prosecution. He highlighted that 2018 the country conducted a nationwide consultation to address its poor performance in local and international corruption indexes. As a result, he said, Sierra Leone invested in strengthening its anti-corruption infrastructure, leading to significant improvements and positive outcomes.
With the above-mentioned strategies employed to fight corruption in the past five years, he updated that the ACC’s achievements were reflected in various indexes and assessments. Among them, he said, include a decrease in corruption prevalence from 70% in 2015 to 40% in 2020, according to the Afro-Barometer Report. Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, he narrated, also showed improvement, with Sierra Leone’s ranking improving from 130 in 2017 to 110 in 2022. He affirmed that the Millennium Challenge Corporation Scorecard has demonstrated progress in controlling corruption for five consecutive years, with a score of 83% compared to the previous failing score of 49%, in Sierra Leone.
In another development, the Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), David Borbor, updated the public that the specific idea about the creation of FIU is generated from an International standard based on the role that monies play a significant role in undermining global peace and security, therefore, it prudent that a particular system in place to minimize especially laundering and other financial offenses.
The FIU's various models are the Administrative, Law Enforcement, and Prosecutorial Models. Borbor stated that the model that the Financial Intelligence Unit mostly uses in Sierra Leone is the Law Enforcement Model, which, according to him, looks at what happens at the financial secretary of state to put together intelligence where there are unusual activities and at the same time to be able to assist the relevant law enforcement agencies in taking actions.
Borbor pointed out that the country should do more to address anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing and highlight several factors that impede the process. The informal and cash-based economy and the under-resourced situation of the authorities, coupled with the porous land borders and ineffective or weak cash control measures along the country's frontiers, were some barriers to enforcing compliance measures.
He further stated that the lack of effective, proportionate, and dissuasive sanctions against entities that violate regulations on Anti-Money Laundering and counterterrorism financing remains a challenge.
He assured that "FIU is an institution that, apart from monitoring and analyzing, also ensures compliance and prevents money laundering and financing of terrorism within the borders of Sierra Leone. "
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