The Speaker of Parliament of Sierra Leone, Hon. Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu has furiously reacted to the allegations against him for sexual exploitation and abuse. An online Justice TV station has described the leader of the House as “Sexual Gatuzo”, an allegation the latter referred to as “a public relations attack meant to divert attention from the alleged employment scandal rocking Parliament.”

He disclosed that corruption always fights back as it was evident that the Parliamentary Service attempted to usurp the power of the Parliamentary Service Commission on the issue of redundancy.

He said the Justice TV Online commentary is a revenge for the exposure of gross administrative malfeasance in the House of Laws.

He said the narrator failed to explain what he meant by “Sexual Gatuzo” or provide proofs of the allegation of sexual exploitation and abuse.

He said having listened to the commentary, one is left with no doubt that the content is meant to divert the attention from the prevailing alleged employment scandal rocking parliament and the invisible hands behind this move are bent on subjecting him, the Speaker to public ridicule.

Like in many cases, the “Me Too” Campaign that gripped the world and industries is not abstract, but affects people who are bold and willing to come out and speak up on their personal encounters with abusive men in all walks of life.

Again, he said, the claim that attempts have been made to reach out to the Speaker with the allegations is false, premeditated and deliberately couched to give the fake allegations a semblance of authenticity, which it seriously lacks.

The Speaker informed that the claim that most of the so-called accusers are female staff and MPs can’t stand the test of time because they are faceless and concocted.

According to Speaker Bundu, in as much as the main purpose of the post is to divert public attention from the grave allegations of corruption against the Clerk and his wife who seem to believe quite wrongly that the Speaker had helped Anti-Corruption to unearth the financial scandals in Parliament even though the issues fully dominated the public domain for all to see.

The Speaker admitted among other things that the only time he travelled to Guinea with a female staff member was during COVID time when the lady, a protocol officer was found to have contracted the virus and had to be isolated away from the Speaker and delegation.

He pointed out that another correction that attests to the fabrication of lies in the broadcast is the alleged travel of the Speaker to Rwanda in December.

The Speaker’s only travel in December was to the UK for medical check-up.

Another lie the Speaker reacted to was that he locks his office doors. The Speaker has never ever held keys to his office as they are always with his Secretaries and Securities and MPs enjoy free access to his office at all times.

He maintained that the so-called Blogger, ‘Injustice’ must name the alleged female complainants or else must be ready to face the full penalty of the law for defaming the Speaker.

He stated that there is a Sexual Offences Act in Sierra Leone and its object is to bring violators of the rights of women and girls to justice.

He stressed that in common law; it is a principle that he who asserts must prove it.

“Justice TV Online, prove your case if you know it is not a paid up makeup to demean and tilt attention towards the Speaker fraudulently.”

The Speaker also denied seizing the allowance of a staff when he is not in charge of finances.

Again, he stressed that it’s just callousness to claim that the Speaker made an attempt on a female MP.

He said in this day of women’s right and empowerment, what female MP will allow herself to be harassed by anyone, less to talk about the Speaker and keep it quiet.

He said this is a clear hit below the belt, when the Speaker’s office is adorned with the latest image capturing and audio-visual technology.

“I challenge Justice TV to name the fictional character of a so-called female MP it claims,” he insists.

“This is a real joke, what party the female MP belongs to and from what Committees she was removed from and relocated. This is a tasteless lie.

By the way, the Speaker never travelled to the IPU with one MP, Justice TV go and be well-furnished with your pathological lies by your paymasters. This is a decorated lie, because the female MP who was part of the trip is almost a ranking MP chairing a strategic Committee in Parliament,” he said.

He challenged Justice TV’s claim to have launched an investigation but only coming out now with the outcome in the wake of an employment scandal.

He underscored that when a vague allegation such as the Table Clerk in the Office of the Speaker, it shows sheer ignorance.

“You only need to check how many Table Clerks are there and what their statuses are.

The Speaker is way above being a sexual predator. Show the evidence of claim that the Speaker is virtually living with a Table Clerk that is presently pregnant,” he challenged. He said it

is about tarnishing and defaming the character of hardworking women who have got husbands, kids and families, this can’t be just about the Speaker anymore, but destroying peaceful homes in the pretext of defamatory whistleblowing.

He said the Secretary in question that is marry to a MP, unfortunately was redundant under the shabby and shady redundancy which the Speaker opposed and for which he is being victimized and persecuted by agents from within and without. Show evidence of any wrongdoing if you have any.

He said it is just abnormal for all of the ladies in question to choose to keep quiet if the claims of sexual harassment and assault have any element of truth.

“Do you expect a female MP to keep quiet if harassed, or an opposition MP’s wife to be silenced in a case of sexual abuse in a period of political toxicity? Can a lawmaker lose her job in this case if the so-called allegation is true? The answer is no,” he said.

He revealed that at the heart of these claims is an administrative and internal political witch-hunt against the Speaker who has been seen to be defiant in the face of serious abuse of power, rule of law and conflict of interest from within the Parliamentary Service and even beyond.

Mr. Speaker said he is undeterred and unshaken by detractors and that he’s a man of a reputable character and holds dearly to uphold the rule of law as  an  exemplary character of high morals.

He reacted that Justice TV Online is oblivious of the fact that it is under the careful hands and watchful eyes of Hon. Dr. Bundu that a state of emergency was enacted against rape, it’s under his hands that the GEWE bill which today stands as a living testimony of how committed he is in empowering women.

So, how can Speaker ruin his doings in such a ghastly allegations.

Mr. Speaker is a ‘He for She’ champion whose steadfastness and commitment to the Hands Off Our Girls Campaign is unwavering and untainted.

He said it’s also alleged with a purported document that the Speaker withdrew money from Parliamentary coffers to travel with a lady which he said is laughable. Is the Speaker a signatory to Parliament’s kitty?

As the commentary goes, he who comes to equity must do so with clean hands, it’s an insinuation by the Blogger that corruption is covertly fighting back and the Speaker is a target.

Who is coming to equity, how and why is the subliminal anchor of that Justice TV Online post.

He said if there are any moral questions to be answered, let it begin with what is before the ACC on the stewardship of the Parliamentary Service.

“You cannot use the argument of morality to undercut the law when evidence abounds that legally, abuse of office, conflict of interest, embezzlement and corruption is rupturing the administration of Parliament.”

This issue can’t be forced to be swept under the radar in an attempt to scapegoat the Speaker.

In the end, a good man is hard to be taken down.

Mr. Speaker’s hands are clean as a whistle and he is always willing to subject himself under the law. If the claims are true, then we await the actual testimonies of the victims.

He said the good thing is that unlike a certain Clergy whose name has been soiled while deceased, Mr. Speaker is hale and hearty to reply to the grave   accusations against him irrespective of how demeaning and he is ever ready to put the laws to a test.