Mackie M Jalloh: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 22 March 2024:
In a shocking revelation, Sierra Leone’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), William Fayai Sellu, delivered a damning address to Parliament on Monday, March 18th, 2024. (Photo above: Former Governor Bank of Sierra Leone, Dr Kelfala Kallon).
The IGP’s speech rocked the nation as he uncovered recent drug busts and a disturbing discovery of counterfeit money, reigniting concerns over corruption and accountability within the country’s institutions.
Sellu’s report shed light on a troubling incident dating back to 2021, involving a Nigerian citizen apprehended with a substantial sum of counterfeit US dollars amounting to an estimated US$34,000.
The seized currency was promptly forwarded to the Bank of Sierra Leone for verification. However, since then, authorities have been met with an eerie silence, with no update forthcoming from the bank.
What further complicates matters is the implication of former officials in this scandalous affair. The then-governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone, Kelfala Kallon (Photo above), finds himself under scrutiny once more, having faced accusations of money laundering during his tenure.
Additionally, the former Inspector General of Police, Sovula (Photo below), who was at the helm during the initial seizure, has been embroiled in numerous allegations of bribery and unprofessional conduct, leading to his dismissal from office.
The timing of these events raises serious questions about their involvement and the subsequent lack of accountability.
Of equal concern is the role of Dr. Ibrahim L. Stevens (Photo below), the current Bank governor, who served as Kallon’s deputy at the time of the confiscation. Despite being privy to the inner workings of the institution, Stevens has remained conspicuously silent in the face of Sellu’s allegations.
This silence has fuelled speculation among citizens and law enforcement alike, prompting urgent demands for transparency and accountability from the Bank of Sierra Leone.
The credibility of the Bank of Sierra Leone hangs in the balance as citizens and authorities alike await answers.
Sellu’s revelation has ignited a firestorm of public outrage, with many questioning the integrity of the institution entrusted with safeguarding the nation’s financial stability.
The failure to provide a timely response only serves to erode trust and confidence in the bank’s ability to uphold its mandate.
As pressure mounts on the Bank of Sierra Leone to break its silence and address the lingering questions surrounding the confiscated funds, the spotlight remains firmly fixed on the actions of former officials and the current administration.
The people of Sierra Leone demand accountability, transparency, and swift action to rectify this egregious breach of trust. Until then, the spectre of corruption looms large, casting a long shadow over the nation’s future.
We are in muddy waters. Questions generate more questions. Explanations or presentations call for more of the same. Nobody accepts responsibility, and feels free to do so because State House and ACC protect them. Thus we have no government, we have gangsters who try to pass themselves off as our government, whose leader is mostly out of the country to stash away his own share of the constant loot on hired jets which the nation has to pay for.
Bio and his team, which includes the intellectual colossus Prince Harding (opponents are intellectual dwarfs) have never heard the word TRANSPARENCY, let alone understand what it means. That’s why a Nigerian criminal caught with counterfeit currency can disappear without a trace together with his criminal possession ; that’s why a government official can have his wife on a pay roll while sitting at home; that’s why a whole audit report can be suppressed; that’s why a Chief Minister can have $1.5 million mysteriously appear in his personal bank account ; that’s why billions of Leones and millions of dollars can disappear from government institutions while people routinely die of hunger and treatable illnesses.
What else can one say other than that Sierra Leone is finished? The opposition (APC) is currently headed by a sissy called Samura Kamara. The chairman of the party (Minkailu Mansaray) and those around him only have their trousers on to cover their private parts. They are not men.
1. It continues to be extremely difficult to trust any Sierra Leone Government official – elected, and appointed! The Leone’s value vis-a-vis other currencies continues in freefall!
2. Sierra Leone’s financial and other institutions are more diseased with kleptocracy than democracy; it is sad that the majority of Sierra Leoneans at home and in the Diaspora helplessly ignore this undesirable reality. Remnants of remanent democracy continue impotent about influencing essential/desirable changes.
The leader of The Official APC Opposition – Dr Samura Kamara – lacks the intellectual sagacity and integrity essential for planning necessary changes, therefore, he must be replaced. Sierra Leone’s APC UK & Ireland appears leaderless and defunct or in hopeless dire straits. Comments invited. Seton During.
The problem with Sierra Leone these days is the level of stupidity that is exhibited by the majority of Sierra Leoneans. I sincerely doubt that they understand how a state functions. The remit of the bank is not to verify currencies. That is the work of the police. If the IG thinks that the money has been used for dubious purposes, why is he telling parliament? If the police can’t solve the crime what does he expect the parliament to do. Finally Sierra Leoneans lack critical thinking. This is not a piece of journalism. There is no critical analysis, merely an amplification of the IG’s words. There is such a thing in democracy as separation of powers. Imagine the police in the UK sending counterfeit currency to the Bank of England for verification. Is the IG saying that the police force does not know the difference between fake and real money. If that is the case, then they are not fit for purpose.
Do we have an Anti-Corruption Agency or a parliamentary committee to which our reputable Inspector General of Police can refer the matter to and continue with the good job he is doing, exposing the actual enemies of our existence? Kudos I.G. Sellu, may you live longer!