Sierra Leone Telegraph: 17 February 2015
After several days of chaos and confusion as to whether and when the Audit report into the disappearance of millions of dollars from the country’s Ebola Fund will be subjected to due legal process, the Anti-Corruption Commission has this afternoon gone some distance to end speculation. (Photo: Joseph Kamara – Anti-Corruption Commissioner, standing up for justice and the common man)
It has today issued a public notice calling on those individuals and organisations cited in the report, to report to its offices and hand-in all documents and records that are declared unavailable to the Auditor General for inspection.
This notice will come as a welcome relief to critics of the government that are highly suspicious of goverment’s intentions, and are seeking justice without any further delays.
The Sierra Leone Telegraph is reliably informed that, the Anti-Corruption Commissioner is seriously looking into stopping flight risk, by applying to the courts for travel restrictions to be imposed on all suspects with immediate effect.
But there are fears some of the suspects may have already gone underground, whilst others may be busy concocting evidence or tampering with records.
It remains to be seen whether due process will ultimately be seen to be best served, given the unnecessary delays since publication of the report five days ago.
Questions are also being asked as to why the names of several key suspects have been left out of the list published today by the ACC.
This is the notice issued today by the ACC:
PUBLIC NOTICE
Notice is hereby given for the following persons to report to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) with immediate effect in connection with matters related to the management of Ebola funds and other matters connected thereto:
1 Dr. Donald Bash Taqi (Director of Hospitals)
2 Charles Mambu (Director Health For All Coalition)
3 Steven Ngauja (Director of the National Ebola Response Centre)
4 Sahr Kapuwa (Former Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health)
5 Festus Kuyembeh (Ministry of Health Director of Financial Resources)
6 Mr. Bash Bangura
7 Sidi Yayah Tunis – (Ministry of Health Director of ICT)
8 Senesie Margao
9 Bassie Turay
10 Sahr Yomba Senesie
11 Jalikatu Mustapha
12 George Penyike (Provincial Secretary – East)
13 Philip Amara
14 Chairman (Pujehun District Descendants Association)
15 Michael Jack Lansana
16 General Manager- Kamasseh Construction and Engineering-Services
17 Dr. Abdul Kamara
18 Ms. Hossianatu M. Kanu (Chief Nursing Officer)
19 District Medical Officer of Bombali – Dr. Tom Sesay
20 Programme Manager- Teenager Pregnancy Reduction
21 Albert Sesay
22 The Head of Praise Foundation
23 The Head of Sierra Leone Health Services Union
24 The Head of Sierra Leone Health Workers Union
25 Yayah A. Conteh
26 General Manager- Trans Atlantic Ventures
27 Victor Koroma- Health Alert
28 Fatmata Collier
29 Saffa Bundaka
30 Kelfala Marah (Ministry of finance)
31 General Manager- Cerra Trading S/L Ltd
32 Eustace During
33 Naomi M. Lobba
34 Aminata Koroma
35 Bashiru Kamara
36 Dr. A. S. Turay
37 Lansana Sheriff- AKA Steady Bongo
38 Delphine Caulker
39 Joseph Flinkinger
Dr. Brima Kargbo the Chief Medical Officer is not a person of interest at this moment to the Anti-Corruption Commission as previously published.
All 39 persons whose names have been mentioned are advised to report to the offices of the Anti-Corruption Commission at 3 Gloucester Street, Freetown or any of our regional offices in Bo, Makeni, Kenema and Kono and bring along documents in respect of the management of Ebola funds.
All District Medical Officers shall appear on scheduled dates to be advised later.
Meanwhile, investigation into the management of Ebola fund continues.
End
I have just read the statement from the APC leader in parliament attempting to silence the people of Sierra Leone and the media from duscussing this report. I think it is disgusting that APC politicians are trying to abuse their parliamentary majority in such dictatorial manner.
Sierra Leone is a democratic and liberal society not a communist country where the voice of the people can be muzzled.
Parliament must take note that we the people and the media will strongly resist any attempt to stop us from talking about the report.
There is a saying. If you cant stand the heat then stay out of the kitchen. In other words if you cannot stand public scrutiny then get the hell out of parliament.
The report is in the public domain and has been there since it was quite rightly published by the Audit Office. The report belongs to the people not parliament.
Whilst parliament may have the privilege to debate the report it cannot have exclusivity. Every other Audit report has in the past been the subject of intense public scrutinity and this is no exception.
So parliamentarians must take a chill pill, sit back and allow the Anti-Corruption to do its work. Lonta.