31 October, 2008
Press Secretariat, State House
Makeni ACC Opening: President Koroma explains need for Commission of Enquiry
President
Ernest Bai Koroma has on Thursday 30th April 2008 used the occasion of the opening of the northern provincial branch
of the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) in Makeni to explain the reasons behind the setting up of the Commission of Enquiry
as a complimentary tool in the efforts to eradicate corruption in Sierra Leone. “Some people are talking about a witch-hunt;
but I am saying the people have a right to know about monies sent to this country in their name. It is everybody’s right
to know, and then we would be able to correct the system.”
The President said the commission would even be a signal,
acting as deterrent, for functionaries of the current government to beware of what they are doing, knowing that a day of reckoning
could one day come. “I said it during campaigning, but some people thought I was joking. I was serious about it, and
now the time to give account is here.” He said the State would protect anyone that has no case to answer, “but
if you have skeletons in your cupboard, we will open it.”
Opening his speech, the Head of State expressed delight
to bring the fight against corruption to his hometown. He said he has launched this crusade because he knows what corruption
has done to the country and what it is capable of doing. He says all sectors are affected, and that it has been in the psyche
of Sierra Leoneans to think that public officials who are not corrupt are unserious. “It is going to be a difficult
fight. But with the institutions we are setting up and the steps we are taking, we will ensure that we uproot this cancer.
We have no choice. There’s no two-way about it.”
The President said it’s not that his government does
not want people to be rich; in fact that it is his desire to see many Sierra Leoneans jump from below the poverty line to
prosperity: “You can be rich without being corrupt, without doing the wrong things.”
On the
Anti-Corruption Commission, the President said he had known that the Act, in its old form, was not good enough, that was why
as Opposition Leader he clamored for its review and campaigned on that ticket. Now, as President, he has ensured that the
commission has got greater independence with prosecutorial powers to charge people to court without going through the Attorney
General and increasing the number of offences from nine to twenty seven. He urged the people to see the ACC not as an enemy
but as an integral part in the battle to regain Sierra Leone’s lost image and even for higher glory. The President repeated
his famous declaration of “no sacred cows” and no hiding place for those who misuse or misappropriate public funds.
He said he was all the more happy to make the declaration in Makeni for his relatives to set an example,
if not they would be used as an example to show that no one would be protected.
“We
can either fight this fight or not try at all. We have to discipline ourselves. We need to increase the government’s
revenue generation, and we need to stop those who sit in small corners eating public money. We have targets to meet. We have
to build the roads, the hospitals and provide other amenities; and we need to ensure that public officials, including the
police and the judiciary are doing their work accordingly. This is a big challenge. Let us recommit ourselves to the fight
against this cancer. If we do, this country will be different and all of us will prosper. Having said that, it’s my
pleasure and honour to declare the ACC office in Makeni open. Thank you and God bless you all.”
In his
remarks, ACC boss Abdul Tejan-Cole, said in 2008 they’ve been trying to build a strong foundation for the commission
by improving the public perception about its work and getting the Act reviewed for effectiveness. He said the ACC would help
the government in revenue generation by propagating the fact that Section 48 of the Act makes it a crime for people to fail
to pay their taxes, rates and any charges owed to the government. He said the next ACC office could be built in Kono, eastern
province, mainly because it’s the seat of diamond mining activities often associated with corrupt practices. He paid
a special tribute to President Koroma for being at the forefront of ensuring that the commission succeeds not only by signing
into law the new Act but by also declaring his assets and asking all public officials to follow suit.
Another
speaker, Makeni Magistrate Emmanuela Harding, prevailed on government to look into the conditions of service of civil and
public servants. “The welfare of the people is the paramount law.”
Other
speakers included Makeni Mayor Moses Sesay, Civil Society representative Gibril Massie Bah, and Rev. Father Joe Turay of the
Catholic mission. The Integrity Club of the Maguraka Secondary School for Girls, Mathora, did a short skit on ‘corruption
in school’. The President was taken on a conducted tour of the new office, while the occasion was chaired by Resident
Minister North Alie D. Kamara.
Ade Renner Thomas Retires as Chief Justice
Justice
Ade Renner-Thomas today took leave of President Koroma, retiring formally as Chief Justice. “Your Excellency, I wish
to express my profound gratitude to you sir, first, for giving me the opportunity to take leave of you on the occasion of
my retirement from office as Chief Justice, a position I have held for almost four years. Secondly, I wish to commend you
for your understanding in giving your concurrence for me to proceed on retirement before the compulsory statutory age of 65
years. Your Excellency is very familiar with the circumstances surrounding my decision to proceed on early retirement and
I shall not dwell on them.”
He said he was faced with the mammoth task of not only to
rebuild, reform and modernize but also to restore public confidence in the judiciary “which had been severely eroded.”
On whether he succeeded, the former Chief Justice said it was not for him to assess himself.
But he was “sure that the future of the judiciary is bound to be bright under Your Excellency’s administration.
I derive this assurance not only from your Excellency’s several pronouncements since you assumed office to support the
judiciary and uphold its independence but also from the practical manifestation of this commitment that led you after only
a few months in office to set up a Task Force under the chairmanship of your able and honorable Vice President to examine
the reasons for the delay in the administration of justice and other related matters. I had the privilege of serving as a
member of that Task Force whose recommendations I am pleased to note have been accepted by Government and are in the process
of being implemented. One of the off-shoots of that Task Force recommendation is the new legislation on drug offences and
the revised anti-corruption statute.”
Responding, President Koroma thanked the former Chief Justice
for diligent service to his country and for making his contribution in the reform of the judiciary, accepting his formal retirement,
having understood the reasons related to it. The Head of State wished him well in his new life.
President Koroma’s alleged Salary Increase Saga Report Submitted
The
administrative enquiry commission set up by government to look into the circumstances surrounding correspondences between
Parliament and the Office of the Secretary to the President with a view to increasing the salary of the President and backdating
its effectiveness to 1996, which consequently led to the resignation of James Sanpha koroma as Secretary to the President,
has presented its report and recommendations to the President at State House today.
The commission, headed by veteran civil servant Eugene Davies, had the mandate to look into
the conduct of Messrs A.A. Cole (Principal Assistant to the Secretary to the President) and F.E. Keita (Special Assistant
to the Secretary to the President) as it relates to the publication of statutory instrument No.11 of 2008 as published in
gazette No. 38 of 7th July 2008.
Making
the presentation on behalf the secretariat and the commission, Chairman Davies said that when they met on 8th of
September this year President Koroma stressed the urgency of the matter and instructed them to expedite their action.
“Since then, we have been meeting regularly and had statements from
key players in the issue, and we have been able to formulate our report,” said Chairman Davies.
The report, according to Mr. Davies, deals with two parts: one has to do with
the conduct of Mr. Keita and Mr. Cole as related to the statutory instrument, while the other deals with the effective running
of the Office of the President, adding that the report speaks for itself.
President Koroma, in responding, thanked the Chairman and members of the commission for their continuing contributions
in building the country and for the quick manner in which they have addressed the issue. He was impressed that they’ve
done this after being given a short notice to serve. He accepted the report, saying it would be carefully looked into and
studied, hoping to use the recommendations, especially the second part, to improve the administrative efficiency of State
House.
Other members of the commission included Charles Mambu,
Harriette Turay and Yankuba Gbakie, who acted as Secretary.
Present
at the ceremony were the Minister of Information and Communication Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, his Deputy Mohamed Koroma, and
Secretary to President E.B. Osho-Coker.
Stay with Sierra Express Media,
for your trusted place in news!
