Shortly after the one hundred days of President Dr Julius Maada Bio in office, protesting staff of Rokel Commercial Bank and Sierra Leone Commercial Bank names withheld have Tuesday 17th July, this year revealed plans by authorities to freeze accounts of those whose names were mentioned in the Government Transition Report, including former government officials, directors, commissioners, ambassadors among others.
In an attempt to authenticate the information on the frozen accounts, staff of state owned Rokel and Sierra Leone Commercial banks downed their tools in protest over low leave allowances and general welfare, as there is nothing like increment on their leave allowance and improvement on their general welfare was mentioned by the Finance Minister, Jacob Jusu Saffa in the submission of his supplementary budget speech in the well of parliament.
Another banker from the Bank of Sierra Leone who spoke to this reporter said all accounts of former government workers have been freeze with instructions from above, alleging that no former government officials should be allowed to withdraw monies from their accounts without clearance from the authorities.
Is was also disclosed that government’s actions does not just stop at freezing the banks accounts of former government officials even ahead of the much anticipated commission of inquiry into the corruption allegations stated in the GTT and presidential proclamation by president Bio.
A family member who prefers anonymity for security reasons also disclosed how she was embarrassed by a cashier at the Rokel Commercial Bank, when she last week attempted to withdraw cash from a joint account with her husband, whiles another victim who attempted at withdrawing cash from the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank was also denied access to his account.
According to a central bank staff the closure of bank accounts of former government officials does not only stop at state owned banks but goes across the board as he put it “government is ready to go after each and every looted money from state coffers.”
If the assertion is anything to go by, then the much anticipated commission of enquiry has been prejudiced in advance of it seating. This apparent violation of the rights of the affected people does not guarantee an envisaged fair and equitable dispensation of justice in the speculated much trumpeted commission of enquiry. Already, a verdict of guilty has seemingly been presumed, thereby perverting the sense of justice in disregard to the rule of law.
Meanwhile the Chairman of the National Privatization Commission (NPC) Umaru Napoleon Koroma engaged staff of both banks as well as stakeholders in the banking sector in an effort to promptly resolve the ongoing strike action by staff of both banks. He assured the strike workers that their concerns will be shortly communicated to the President for appropriate action, as the strike action has very serious impact on the economy, he reiterated. But whether the strike workers would comply, depends largely on the outcome of their deliberations with the relevant authorities.
But except the authority in diverse ways wants to confirm the veracity in the adage, “A rat is never innocent in the court presided by a cat.” The nation is patiently waiting on the commencement of the said commission of enquiry for justification of action. As of now, the alleged culprits remain innocent and must be protected by the constitution.
