By Ragan M. Conteh

Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, has issued a stern directive to Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).

The blanket warning covers Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to submit their audited financial statements for 2023 within seven days, or they risk faced severe parliamentary action—including the potential closure of their accounts.

The directive was issued during a tense session of the PAC’s review of the 2023 Auditor General’s Report, which revealed that only 5 out of 14 telecoms and internet service providers submitted their financial statements to the Universal Development Fund (UADF) in violation of Section 165 (1, 2 & 3) of the National Communications Authority Act, 2021.

Chairman Conteh stressed the importance of the UADF being well-resourced to execute its core mandate, which includes facilitating connectivity—especially in underserved provincial areas—and supporting digital financial transactions such as e-voucher payments for government schemes, agriculture, and social protection.

“If the UADF can meet its core objectives, then payments for agriculture vouchers, social security support, and other initiatives would be streamlined and process be transparent,” said Hon. Conteh.

He lamented the long-standing governance challenges in ensuring compliance and monitoring agreements within public financial structures, pointing out that the PAC is now taking a holistic approach to not only reviewing audit reports but to also examining the legislative and financial linkages that impact public service delivery.

The PAC particularly scrutinized a payment schedule submitted by Zoolabs and noted discrepancies in the transaction dates and values, questioning the credibility of internal financial summaries submitted instead of audited statements.

The committee was also informed that the outstanding liability from Zoolabs alone stands at Le731,019.97 exclusive of pending taxes and custom duties.

While acknowledging some payments made by providers, the Chairman made it clear that internal cashbooks or payment schedules will no longer be accepted as substitutes for audited statements, adding that such practices allow providers to understate revenue and thus underpay their levies.

“You cannot extract partial figures and present them as audited accounts.That’s unacceptable. If in seven days these companies do not comply, we will take a motion to Parliament and activate powers under section (106) to investigate and possibly shut down operations,” he warned.

Companies named during the session, including Africell, Orange, QCell, K3, Metro and Zoomlabs, are now required to submit both their 2023 audited financials to the PAC and the UADF within the stipulated timeframe.

The PAC concluded the session with a resolution to monitor all liabilities being submitted and warned that failure to comply would result in Parliament invoking its full constitutional powers.

“The Bible says the kingdom of God suffers violence and violent takes its force,” Conteh said passionately, signaling the committee’s no-nonsense stance moving forward.

This landmark move is expected to set a precedent for financial accountability in Sierra Leone’s telecoms sector and beyond.