By Alusine Fullah

The Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL) is the supreme audit institution of Sierra Leone, mandated by law to ensure that public funds are used efficiently and effectively. By law, it should be committed to promoting accountability and transparency in the public sector by conducting independent audits of government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

Meanwhile, as the Supreme Audit Institution of Sierra Leone, the mandate of the ASSL covers the entire public sector, with the responsibility to audit the central and local government, public enterprises, the central bank, state-owned commercial banks, and other state-owned financial corporations. Section 119 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone and the Audit Service Act are the legal instruments through which this mandate was given.

In line with the foregoing, the 2022 Audit Report has clearly stated that bank withdrawals totalling 22,570,463.00 were made without supporting documents from the Office of the President. In that note, it seems that corruption has gone out of control in Sierra Leone. Not a day passes with banner newspaper headlines of massive corruption and grand theft within the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) led Government of President Maada Bio.

It seems very ironic for a President who has vowed in the fight against corruption strongly has been allegedly engaged in corruption. His vow was seen in his tweet page: “Corruption is an existential threat to the image, integrity, and wholesomeness of the state. It undermines business, public service delivery, public trust and cohesion, which are critical for national development. Hence, the fight against corruption must be won collectively. Our commitment to the fight against corruption has earned us favourable, progressive and sustained international ratings and corruption perception indexes over the last five years of my leadership. This is no doubt a testament to our strong commitment to curbing corruption in Sierra Leone.”