ACC’s Limits of Power

Concord Times (Freetown)

With John Momoh

17 May 2011

opinion

Freetown — Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) headed by lawyer Joseph F. Kamara has added another feather to its hats of achievement when over the weekend the ACC boss presented a colossal amount of over Le600 million and about US$45,700 to His Excellency President Ernest Bai Koroma as the Commission’s contribution to the Consolidated Trust Fund. The ACC boss noted that the amount ‘donated’ to the Consolidated Fund, which is utilized to undertake development projects in the country, was derived from proceeds recovered from the prosecution of corruption cases in the country.

In this regards the ACC boss deserves a pat on the back for a job well done. What is however surprising to many Sierra Leoneans is the eagerness about how other ACC Commissioners before lawyer Kamara have been expending such proceeds realized from ACC cases in the past? Can it be that lawyer Kamara is the pacesetter and the first to set the precedent or in rare cases others have been contributing to that fund without any publicity?

Indeed records show that as head of the ACC lawyer Joseph Kamara is drawing from the weaknesses of past Commissioners by presenting himself in the eyes of the general public as a role-model that is bent on leaving a landmark success where others have woefully failed to measure up to expectations. Since coming to power, despite the multiple shortcomings, the APC regime appears to be setting a rare record in prosecuting corruption cases. Only that it is too early the weigh the regime’s overall performance after three years in power on matters of fighting corruption.

It was the APC regime that abrogated the ACC’s functions from that of the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice. In the past there were lots of controversies and misunderstanding between ACC officials and the Prosecution office of the Attorney-General over what constituted a corruption case. The situation at one point became so much fraught with problems that cases were referred to lawyers in Britain for consultation and advise to determine whether they constituted corruption cases.

Today a landmark achievement of the ACC under the APC is not only revising the commission’s mandate to conform to changing realities, but to increase its independence from political manipulations. The question that is very often asked is: is the ACC really taking advantage of the enormous power that wields after the revision of its mandate and His Excellency the President’s vision of zero tolerance to corruption? People are puzzled over the depth and intensity of the fight against corruption in the country since the APC came to power, because despite all the above measures corruption related cases in the country continue to increase unabated.

Certainly many of those who habitually listen to the popular radio program ‘Monologue’ are indeed convinced that a lot needs to be done in government’s efforts to reduce corruption, as more investigations are either pending or shelved due to political patronage for ACC officials do not appear to be smart enough to act on several of the tips about corruption given to the them. What for example is happening within the National Power Authority (NPA) since Monologue uncovered fishy deals concerning the purchase of megawatts power generators to provide electricity to the people of Kono District and the Lungi Airport and the Lungi community?

It was also revealed that despite the hue and cry raised over the 50th Independence Anniversary celebration budget being set at $8 million rather than US$25 million that was initially proposed by the anniversary committee, there are equally intrigues in the transparency and accountability that was exercised with the committee under Professor C. Magbaily Fyle.

A 13th May 2011 Vol. 52 No. 10 edition of African Confidential Reports indicate that 50th independence anniversary contractors are said to have received about $45,700 to provide three rounds of meals for State House guests, but only one round meal was served, thus raising accountability questions. NPA received $457,000 for the supply of electricity to the Lumley area, the tourist paradise during the celebrations but little power was supplied.

A source close to the celebrations committee indicated that the 50th independence anniversary T-shirts were reserved for every media institution in the country especially those around Freetown, but few reporters and journalists ever received free 50th anniversary T-shirts, despite the many free publicity rendered by several media institutions in the country for the sake of patriotism.

These are all reasons why many journalists are of the view that if the logistics and the modalities are put in place to add grease to the capacity of the ACC to fearlessly continue to fight corruption in the country without any compromise or favouritism, perhaps by now the ACC commissioner may not be giving a mere Le600 million to the Consolidated Fund for undertaking urgent development projects such as road construction and increasing teachers’ salary.

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