May 14, 2021
By: Audrey John
The Director of Complaint at the Ombudsman office, Barrister Andrew Johnson has said service offer to citizens from that institution are free and that nobody should pay money to anyone when filing Complaint.
Barrister Johnson made the above disclosure when dilating on the work of the institution and narrating their success stories.
Speaking on how the institution operates, Barrister Johnson said the office of the Ombudsman is working on their mandate privately and it is within their privacy they are getting success stories.
He said complaints which should be heard and settled by the institution are done within their private confines and those who do not fall under their office are sometimes referred to the Ministry of Labour, Legal Aid Board, or the Anti-Corruption Commission among others.
Citing some of their success stories, Barrister Johnson said they have been able to resolve a complaint made by former staff of National Power Authority now EDSA on issue bordering on failure to pay his pension.
He said in dealing with the above complaint, they engaged key stakeholders including NASSIT and at the end they were able to amend the problem with staff receiving the fair dues.
The compliant director further disclosed that the police also filed complaint that some of them who are under suspension are not receiving full payment of salary, a matter he said they took up and settled amicably.
He also highlighted another complaint made to them by some former staff of statistics Sierra Leone, in which he said during investigations, the institution corporated with them and made payment accordingly.
Questioning him about how they deal with Complaints, Barrister Johnson reiterated that they don’t involve in matters which are charged to court.
He said recently they had dealt with more than seventy cases with Kailahun district recording sixteen. He observed that this is why they want to establish more branches all over the country.
He spoke on the issue of man power as a challenge they are contending with. “The institution needs more lawyers to do its work effectively”, he stressed.
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