September 2, 2021
BY MOHAMED M. SESAY
In response to the corruption allegation regarding monies meant for the refurbishment of the Sierra Leone Permanent Mission House in the United Nation (UN), the Anti- Corruption Commission has yesterday informed Journalist that Dr. Samura Kamara former Minister of Foreign Affairs and International corporation, Mrs Nabella Tunis former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Francis Kaikai who was also a Permanent Representative to UN now Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Alie Kabba the Ambassador of Sierra Leone to Egypt who was the Permanent Representative to UN, Mrs Nabella Tunis among others are all persons of interest in the ongoing investigation.
Updating the media at a press conference, the Anti-Corruption Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala disclosed that resources were sought for the refurbishment of Sierra Leone Permanent Mission to the United Nation (UN) sometimes around 2011. He added that initially two million dollars was solicited from the consolidated fund and set aside in 2012 for the refurbishment of the Mission house in the United States of America.
Francis Ben Kaifala furthered that there was a cabinet directive which indicated that the money should be sent to New York and the entire money should be used to do the renovation work of which, he said only one million dollars left Sierra Leone to New York to effect the actual renovation.
He continued that the contract for the renovation was prepared by a United States citizen called Jose Davis through his lawyer and it was signed in December 2016.Therefore, from 2012-2016, Francis Ben Kaifala noted that the two million dollars was made available and the contract for the renovation itself was signed in December 2016.
“The original contract of the Sierra Leone Permanent Mission House in New York was two million five hundred and sixty thousand dollars. The contract prize after the addition of two floors, was increased from two million five hundred and sixty thousand dollars to five million two hundred and ninety-five thousand, five hundred and fifty-five dollars. Which means we have a situation hereby, two million five hundred thousand dollars was initially agreed as the contract prize of which the contractor signed to start the renovation”, he said.
He also disclosed that for some reason, somebody changed the initial contract agreement and increased the amount to five million two hundred and ninety-five thousand dollars plus. He said the additional to the original contract prize was two million seven hundred and twenty-five which is one hundred percent above the original contract prize.
So far as of today between 2012-2021, the ACC Commissioner intimated that four million six hundred and sixty-nine thousand five hundred and forty nine dollars which represents 88.8% of the total contract sum has been paid to the contractor.
Despite the payment of 88.8% of the contract sum, Commissioner Kaifala also informed that the ACC has sent a team to New York and an assessment has been professionally done which unearthed that only 47% of the agreed contractual work was done.
Commissioner Kaifala further stated that the entire arrangement for the payment of the money did not follow the agreed processes for procurement as prescribed by the laws of Sierra Leone. He added that there was a second two million dollars which was allocated for the work in 2018 and that two million dollars was received in Sierra Leone and some of it was sent to New York, whiles a significant amount disappeared into private hands.
He also informed that the complainants in the matter is the president of the republic of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio. He said the president has been so appalled by how these monies were handled particularly under his own administration. As it stands, the Commissioner said they have spoken to various people who occupied positions in government since 2011 to date who are persons of interest.