By: Mohamed Sahr mohamedsahrpro@gmail.com
In a recent press briefing held at its headquarters in Tower Hill, Freetown, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) announced the successful recovery of a total sum of 4.8 billion Old Leones from the Sierra Leone Road Authority (SLRA) and certain individuals at the Ministry of Finance. The Commissioner General of the ACC, Francis Ben Kelfala, highlighted that this significant amount was recovered within a span of three weeks.
Initially, the ACC recovered 4.3 billion Old Leones, equivalent to 4.3 million New Leones. Commissioner Kelfala elaborated that during the course of their investigation, an additional 2.5 billion Old Leones were later recovered, bringing the total to 8.4 billion Old Leones.
The ACC Commissioner General disclosed that Emmanuel Smart, the Deputy Accounting Officer and the alleged mastermind behind the SLRA fraud, had been arrested. Several others from the Ministry of Finance, primarily from the Accountant General’s Department, were also apprehended. Kelfala explained that the funds, originally intended for an accounting firm through Rokel Commercial Bank, were intercepted and redirected to Kabala Community Bank for illicit gains.
According to Commissioner Ben Kelfala, the misappropriation of funds occurred between August 2023 and December 2023. Emmanuel Smart, after diverting the money, purportedly created a company account to legitimize the transaction. The ACC possesses evidence indicating that 2.3 billion Old Leones were withdrawn and distributed among Smart’s accomplices.
Highlighting their commitment to recovering stolen funds, the ACC Commissioner General asserted that every penny of the 8.4 billion Old Leones had been reclaimed for the people of Sierra Leone.
In a separate development, the ACC revealed the recovery of 45 million from the National Revenue Authority (NRA), linked to a criminal enterprise orchestrated by Salim Mansaray, who has since fled to Dubai. Additionally, 1.6 billion Old Leones were recovered from Frederick Coker, who absconded to the United States after the bank detected the stolen money.
Commissioner Ben Kelfala expressed concern about only two judgments being rendered by the Sierra Leone Judiciary in 2023, emphasizing that such a low number could negatively impact the country’s international standing. The ACC pledged to persistently pursue the recovery of stolen funds in the interest of the people of Sierra Leone.
