The anti-graft agency (ACC) is reported to have recovered the sum of Nle 8.4 billion from five government officials who looted the said amount corruptly.
Speaking to members of the press at the Commission’s headquarters, Tower Hill in Freetown, yesterday, the Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Francis Ben Kelfala said with their tireless strides to fight against corruption in Sierra Leone, they have recovered the sum of Nle8.4 billion from five government personnel who connived and stole the said amount from the Ministry of Finance.
He said four officials from the Ministry of Finance and one from the Sierra Leone Roads Authority amounting to five, have already paid the said amount they stole from the government.
Commissioner, Francis Ben Kelfala further explained that he has also had a meeting with the President on the investigation of alleged corruption of the Clerk of Parliament, Paran Tarawally and expects that the President will take administrative action.
He said they have so far recovered 151 million old leones from the wife of Paran Tarawally, as the salary she received as a staff of Parliament for nineteen months without going to work.
He further explained that at the initial stage as the head of the institution he personally called Paran Tarawally about the matter which he said the latter heeded.
He also confirmed that there is no law that prevents Paran Tarawally from recruiting her wife or his brother but the law states cleary that he must have expressed it in writing.
He said Paran himself confirmed during their conversation that his wife works in Parliament without following the due procedure of the laws of the country, adding that it was during that time he demanded the monies he paid to his wife are repaid.
He said while at ACC office, Paran Tarawally and wife scrambled and paid the sum of Nle131,000.
Ben Kelfala furthered that, what is more disturbing is that Paran Tarawally told the commission during the first hearing at the ACC office that, her wife has worked in Parliament for about ten months but when the Commission verified with the Accountant General’s Office, they discovered that his wife was recruited since 2021 and has been paid for 19 months.
The ACC Boss said they have held meeting with the President and the head of state and will address the case in the next couple of days.