His Excellency, President Brig. (Rtd.) Dr. Julius Maada Bio on the Presentation of the 2019 Annual Report of the Anti-Corruption Commission, commends the leadership and staff of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for the Report and their unwavering commitment to the fight against corruption over the last years.
Speaking on the occasion, president Bio stated that since he assumed office in 2018, he has prioritised the fight against corruption because it is a threat to our development as a nation. He pointed out that corruption in any country adversely affect economic and social development, foreign direct investment, effective service delivery, fair play and equal opportunity, equal access to justice and the rule of law, stating that the presentation of this Report gives an opportunity to reaffirm his Government’s commitment to the fight against corruption. ‘This is a war we must fight and it is a war we must win’ President Bio assured Sierra Leoneans.
He furthered that the year 2019, which the Report captures, was both historic and significant in the fight against corruption. ‘ I signed into law the Anti-Corruption Amendment Act of 2019 in fulfillment of both a manifesto and public commitment I made during the State Opening of Parliament in 2018 to resolutely stamp out corruption and make it unfashionable in public life’, H E Bio stated.
He said that the amended Act further strengthened the powers of the Commission, and addressed challenges that had undermined the success of the ACC.
He also said, the Special Anti-Corruption Division was established in the High Court with five (5) dedicated Judges to exclusively sit on ACC cases in a bid to ensure that Corruption cases no longer languish in court, stating that Case management and trial processes for corruption cases are now more predictable, fairer, and faster.
‘Honourable Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, on behalf of my Government, launched my Government strategic blueprint that includes the public and private sectors in fighting corruption’, the president poised.
‘The National Anti-Corruption Strategy (2019-2023) or NACS is unique because it adopts a holistic, three-pronged approach to fighting corruption: Education, Corruption Prevention, and Enforcement. Also, the strategy foregrounds the Effective functioning of the Integrity Management Committees (IMCs) established in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies ‘added.
He also cited that the country’s international reputation has been enhanced because our international rating on controlling corruption and corruption perception indices are all very favorable, saying that transparency International’s, Corruption Afro-Barometer Report released in 2019, ranked Sierra Leone third, among 35 countries in Africa, for Government’s effectiveness in the fight against corruption,
adding that 66% of Sierra Leoneans believe that the Government is doing well in the fight against corruption, as Sierra Leone has jumped up ten places in the 2019 Transparency Global Corruption Perception Index.
He mentioned that in 2019, Sierra Leone scored 79% in the Millennium Challenge Corporation control of corruption indicator. ‘This was an improvement on the 71% score in 2018 during our very first year in office’, he stated.
According to HE Bio Six, surveys carried out by independent civil society organisations and funded by foreign governments, indicate significant improvements in fighting corruption. ‘The Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law’s National Corruption Perception Survey Report titled “Actions, Hopes and Impediments in the fight against corruption in Sierra Leone,” states that 92% of respondents believe that the Anti-Corruption Commission is creating the greatest impact in the fight against corruption’, he said.
He further stated that he is well pleased to note that in 2019, the Anti-Corruption Commission expanded its operations and opened its North-West Regional office in Port Loko. ‘As I have indicated, decentralizing the control of corruption broadens the overall integrity framework because it gets more local stakeholders and actors directly engaged in combatting corruption in their local precincts’ he noted. He also note the progress made in constructing the headquarters of the Anti-Corruption Commission and assured that Government will continue providing all necessary support to ensure its timely completion.
He reckoned with sierra Leonean, whilst these developments highlighted above show that we are clearly on the right path, winning the war against corruption requires sustained commitment and increased public confidence. There will always be concerns, opinions, and challenges about the cases you investigate, the cases you prosecute, the cases you win, and the cases you lose in court. But do not be distracted. As a Government, we are determined and committed to a sustained and elevated fight against corruption in this country, he advised
He concluded by appealing directly to citizens that the fight against corruption is not just the responsibility of the Government or the Anti-Corruption Commission. Given the cost of corruption for our national development, for service delivery, and for economic and other opportunities, it is the duty of every citizen to say something and do something about ending corruption. It is a veritable existential threat to our nation and we must all see corruption as a common enemy that we must collectively fight, he said.
