By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chaired by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh has during a public hearing held on Tuesday 14th January 2025 declared the queries and or concerns in the 2023 Auditor General’s Report for the Leone Rock Metal Group resolved.
The public hearing held at the Parliament Administrative building housed representatives from Leone Rock Metal Group, the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources, the Audit Service Sierra Leone and members of the Fourth Estate. The meeting was very brief as the Committe was able to swiftly address the few issues captured in the 2023 Auditor General’s Report. This indicates that Leone Rock Metal Group is in compliance with the relevant regulations and policies in the Sierra Leone mining landscape.
During the engagement, it was confirmed that the Leone Rock Metal Group has been paying in full the agreed tax of 1.5 million including increments for the usage of the railway to the National Revenue Authority. They were able to present the required documents to the Committe for verification. Another query involving an agreement with Maritime and Leone Rock was also looked at, and clear communication was also provided with evidence.
The Chairman together with his Committe members was able to thoroughly look at all the queries raised and confirmed that the documents were all intact. In the absence of other queries having looked at those captured in the 2023 report, the Chairman of PAC Hon. Conteh declared the issues of Leone Rock resolved.
In his follow-up comments, the Chairman appreciated Leone Rock Metal Group, the Chinese investment company for the diverse supports it has been rendering to the people of Sierra Leone. Emphasizing the company’s immense supports to the Sierra Leone football, he encouraged the company to also support other sporting activities.
The Leone Rock Metal Group is a Chinese investment company established in Sierra Leone in July 2010. It is the parent company of Kingho Mining Company and Kingho Railway and Port Company which are part of an integrated Iron Ore Mining, Railway-Port Handling and export group of companies. With about 90 percent of local employees, Leone Rock has been a leading company in Sierra Leone providing greater supports in diverse sectors.
