By Thomas Dixon
SALONE TIMES PRESS
When the government of President Bio was elected into power, Sierra Leoneans believed that strong actions will be taken against missing or looted government funds from the state treasury but the zeal with which the government came into office to fight corruption grew cold.
The Audit General Reports of the account of the government of Sierra Leone is a testament that the government has been on a looting spree.
Just when they were elected in 2018, the Auditor General revealed that over 140 Billion were missing in the government purse but the current government said that much of that money was stolen by the former APC government.
In 2019 when the SLPP government of President Bio started working Le177, 577,126,795.52 were reportedly missing by the annual auditor general report and in 2020, the estimated cash losses identified in the Audit Report amounted to 113 Billion Leones and for which the Office of the President was accused of forgery of receipts and host of other malfeasance.
The 2020 report resulted in what many people believed as the unlawful removal of the sub stantive Auditor General Lara-Taylor Pearce from office and for which the government has set up a special tribunal.
The recent 2021 Audit Report revealed that over Le151,940,584,153,97 was reportedly missing excluding US$1,432,416.56, US$7,519.52, € 4,543.60, £ 7,378.07 and US$132,000.
It could be recalled that the Leader of the National Grand Coalition (NGC) in Parliament Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella has been speaking about the lack of parliamentary scrutiny on the recommendations of the Audit Reports from 2018 to date which according to him is not good accountability.
However, some actions that many believed is too little have been taken by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
