Sierra Leone Telegraph: 20 December 2019:
President Julius Maada Bio will arrive in Abuja, Nigeria tonight, after an embarrassing and gruelling forty-eight hours of media and public outcry, over a report by the country’s Auditor General of a missing One Hundred and Forty One Billion Leones from the government’s accounts.
According to State House report released today, the president will be attending the 56th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, tomorrow Saturday, 21st December 2019.
State House sources speaking to the Sierra Leone Telegraph, says that the president though embarrassed by the scandal, is flying off to Abuja with the full confidence that the country’s parliament and the Anti-Corruption Corruption will be conducting a thorough investigation into the missing funds.
Although the recent performance report of the government published by the Millennium Challenge Compact (MCC), shows that Sierra Leone has made progress in combatting corruption, the 2018 Audit Report of the Auditor General has exposed serious lapses and weaknesses built into the country’s public financial system, that is promoting massive corruption in government.
The 56th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS has been convened to discuss the Report of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, which is expected to include – a review of the current security situation in the region.
The Summit will also discuss the Final Report of the Auditor-General of the ECOWAS Commission, highlighting the financial position of the Community.
Tomorrow’s summit has been preceded by three statutory Meetings of ECOWAS: Mediation and Security Council of Ministers; the Extraordinary Council of Ministers Meeting on Forensic Auditing; and the proposed celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Protocol on Free Movement in West Africa.
President Julius Maada Bio will return to Sierra Leone at the end of the summit tomorrow, Saturday 21st December 2019.
I believe that President Bio will be in a very strong position in representing our country in this final summit of 2018 because the security of our nation is very strong and our economy based on the assessment of the IMF and World Bank is moving in the right direction since the former APC corrupt government under the leadership of their lifetime chairman left our nation with the worst economy since independence after he inherited an economy that was almost debt free from the late President Tejan Kabba of the SLPP.
The reality in 2007 during and after the presidential election was that the transition of power was very smooth as compared to the 2018 presidential election which was already predicted that the APC will be in power for the next 50 years. Unfortunately the lifetime chairman declared austerity measures before the election and started looting the banks in order to finance his election campaign, and after the APC party unexpectedly lost the first round they went into a panic mood , so they launched “operation pay yourselves“.
During the delay by NEC to announce the final result because the APC government applied delaying tactics by asking for recounts, they intensified the looting of the commercial bank and smuggling of cash and government vehicles to neighboring countries. Unfortunately for President Bio he was left with no other option but to borrow vehicles from neighboring Guinea for the inauguration and finally agreed to the conditions of the IMF, unlike former President Koroma in 2007.
I hope and pray that the ACC boss and the COI will not be distracted by this Audit report which is now before the legislatures, and they still have to keep their eyes on the ball because by 2020 the former corrupt APC leadership will be prosecuted under the new ACC law that was recently approved by parliament that corrupt officials will not only pay back the stolen monies but also serve jail time.
Some of the time it is best to ignore some who think myopically and refuses to move from thier comfort zone even when the situation demands they do so.
The above is what a reasonable person who is equipped with enough analytical power can glean from the rude and uninformed writing put forward by Sahr Maturi in this very important discussion.
I will make it simple for his ilk to understand what is at stake. In a serious investigation, when the investigator visits a crime scene, he would investigate all who had visited that crime scene in the period under investigation.
He would not act foolishly by narrowing his investigation to the person who was at the crime scene for 48 hrs and rule out the one who was there for 12 hours due to laziness, untill the evidence dictates so. This analogy is given in this simple way so that even a class five pupil and the likes of Mr. Matturi and his cohorts can understand what is required for a structural analysis in a given situation.
The evidence can never be replaced by rudeness or irrational argument- period.
I would assume this is Mr. David Makevelii 419. Just see how arrogant he is with his SYCOPHANTIC COMMENT. Just an EMPTY BOX of IDLE, MEAN, BORED and waste of time JUNK statement which needs to be ignored. I hope Mr. Herman Ratnis will not just be a ONE OFF 419 SHOT. The COUNT down for the WORD LUNCH OF WORDS has just begun. From Mr. David Makevelii, now Mr. Herman Ratnis and later another shadow in DISGUISE of the former.
Are you OK Mr. Herman Ratnis? Are you PORTRAYING yourself in the SHADOW of Mr. David Makevelii? I hope not. This again tells me how and I would repeat with vigour how SILLY, ARROGANT, MISGUIDED, BORED and RECKLESS the ARGUMENT of Mr. Herman Ratnis is. By the way I know Greek friend by the name of ADONIS RATNIS. He is not that SILLY and RECKLESS in terms of debating. Also, he does not DISGUISE himself in the VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH.
Mr. Herman Ratnis somewhere on PLANET EARTH preaching ERRATIC, INSANE AND RECKLESS comment for me to take notice of his ABSURD COMMENT. That will never happen. GOD BLESS Mr. Herman Ratnis and his very BORING COMMENT.
Matturi and Conteh, never jump hastily to conclusion on matters of sensitive like the missing billions. The auditor general’s report is covering 2018 which saw SLPP taking power from APC. They both are suspects until proven guilty for the missing funds in the year under review. You guys should not blow your trumpets so loud as to blame the current government because you hate them.
We all know how APC was looting this nation before and during the elections period.There were no checks and balances. The thieves had their field day. The current government is so smart to have extended the COI’s mandate to investigate the APC from 2007 to 2018 which covers the 4 months into 2018. My advice to you gentlemen is to shut up and wait for the ACC and COI reports. The evil sun of your APC will never raise in this blessed land of ours again.
See how RECKLESS, MISGUIDED and ABSURD Mr. David Makevelli’s fake comment is. Is Mr. Makevelii trying to persuade me to accept his VAGUE ARGUMENT that the APC was involved in this SCANDAL by some UNSCRUPULOUS TOP Mr. GENTLEMEN in the MINISTRY OF FINANCE and elsewhere? NO WAY.
Stop playing this RECKLESS BLAME GAME by associating the past APC ADMINISTRATION with the MISSING BILLIONS OF LEONES under the watch of the present ADMINISTRATION and the GENTLEMAN MINISTER OF FINANCE and his so called GENTLEMAN FINANCIAL SECRETARY.
The MISSING BILLIONS OF LEONES lies squarely with some rogue officials within the BIO ADMINISTRATION. The top GENTLEMEN I have just mentioned should be the first to be interrogated by the ACC. PERIOD.
President Bio and his ADMINISTRATION are now in power. They must take full responsibility of any situation under their watch and all those involved in this STATE ROBBERY SYNDICATE must COUGH out the MISSING BILLIONS OF LEONES and be LOCKED somewhere within the four corners of the CENTRAL PRISON.
Do you agree with me Mr. David Makevelii?
Hear Mr. Makevelii sitting somewhere in the universe playing a HORRIBLE RECKLESS BLAME GAME on STATE ROBBERY and telling me to stay silent. Are you OK Mr. Makevelii? I hope so. GOD BLESS YOU Mr. Makevelii.
The missing BILLIONS of LEONES through ORGANISED FRAUDULENT STATE SYNDICATE is very easy to investigate. There is only one ministry in the forefront of this MYSTERIOUS MISSING of BILLIONS OF LEONES. Sadly, it is the MINISTRY OF FINANCE. The ACC should name a squad for this investigation. I will propose the name “EAGLE SQUAD”. The ACC should just storm the MINISTRY OF FINANCE with their newly formed EAGLE SQUAD and use the squad’s CLAWS to GRAB/INTERROGATE the GENTLEMAN FINANCIAL SECRETARY AND THE GENTLEMAN MINISTER OF FINANCE. Simple as that.
Why all this delay by the BIO ADMINISTRATION? Is there something to hide by the MINISTRY OF FINANCE TOP GENTLEMAN that will INCRIMINATE many more ROGUE GENTLEMEN? Over to you ACC for a rapid investigation. The Ministry of Finance has the answer to all this. GOD BLESS us find the HIDEOUT of the missing BILLIONS of LEONES and GOD BLESS our HARDWORKING AUDITOR GENERAL.
Away, away he goes again – a President that fully knows the winds of blame and shame blows for sure against SLPP doors. Is he corrupt Saidu? Hmmm! Why is he always running away scared in moments that demand decisive leadership? (lol) He runs because the truth pursues him like a merciless hunter who when it catches the fleeing prey, rips it to more than a thousand pieces, skin, bowels, entrails and all. (lol)
But he is a soldier Great Sayedna. Such men are rarely afraid. What do you say – True of false? Such words come from illusions my friend. Those that point the barrel of loaded guns at the innocent are the most cowardly among men.(lol) So is it true he stole monies to the tune of 18 million dollars once before? It could’ve been that whoever said such a thing was just being nice, because I have heard stories whispered by the gentle wind that said he absconded like an armed bandit with shiploads of stolen monies, whose weight together with gold, almost sank his fleeing ship(lol)
So what should we do now Saidu? Wait patiently my good friend, because time rewards those who are blessed with the gift of patience – and patience is priceless my friend, worth much more than gold. Rising Sun Will Rise Again.