June 21, 2021
MOHAMED M. SESAY
In its regular media updates, the Anti-Corruption Commission has on the 18th of June, informed the General public that the Commission has concluded probing into issues relating to payment, and expenditure of public funds by the Office of the First Lady and therefore, vindicated the First Lady indicating that the specific payment made to the First Lady Madam Fatima Bio was done in compliance with Section (39) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 that gives the State, authority to expend State funds to unallocated head of expenditure to a certain threshold.
The Commission also disclosed that the Office of the First Lady had been engaged in charity works and the provision of targeted supports to the various occupants of the Office of the President with regards to identified and specific projects for the past 14 years.
The Commission added that Public funds were used to effect those supports and projects, including the “Women’s Initiative for Safer Health” (WISH) bed nets projects by First Lady Mrs. Sia Nyama Koroma with support from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, and the “Hands Off Our Girls” Campaign by First Lady Mrs. Fatima Bio with support from the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs.
“With respect to specific payments made to First Lady Mrs. Fatima Bio, the Commission confirms that it was done in compliance with Section (39) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016; that gives the State, authority to expend State funds to unallocated head of expenditure to a certain threshold, to “necessary” public cause(s) in the interest of the Public and that the said allocations were confirmed to be the exercise of the discretion provided by law to the Minister of Finance” the press statement states.
The Commission continued that upon analyzing the records of accounts, official approval documents and the legal and regulatory framework concerning payments made to the Office of the First Lady since 2007 to date, they confirmed that there is not, at this stage, any criminal responsibility in the process of payments to, and expenditures relating to, the Office of the First Lady.
It also established that records of the Commission have also confirmed that Billions of Leones had been received by the said office for travel, medical and other attendant costs in each of the past 14 years and that the travels were verified and confirmed to have been within the established government policy of access to the said funds.
The Commission however established that other issues of expenditure, including prudential financial management, procurement issues, the interface between charitable donations to the said office with public funds, etc. will be dealt with within the framework of the Auditor-General’s Report 2019 and that, the Commission will be giving due deference to those recommendations and act on them accordingly.
It may be recalled that an author of the Africanist Press Chernor Bah alleged that the Office of the First Lady misappropriated Public fund. Acting on such allegations, the Anti-Corruption Commission released a press statement on 9th February, 2021, confirming that the Commission had commenced probe into the Office of the First Lady, regarding the payments to and expenditures of public funds by the said Office following allegations of illegal access to Public Funds by holders of the said Office in Sierra Leone in recent years, including the Current First Lady.
