By Marilyn King
Budget Advocacy Network (BAN), Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), 5050 Group, Institute of Legal Research and Advocacy for Justice (ILRAJ), Eminent Women Peace Mediators in Sierra Leone (EWPM-SL) and Citizens’ Barry have in a press conference questioned the Tribunal report on the Auditor General and Deputy Auditor General.
The institutions maintained that after an in-depth analysis of the Tribunal report regarding the Auditor General, Mrs. Lara Taylor-Pearce and her Deputy, Mr. Tamba Momoh, their analysis uncovered procedural deficiencies such as non-adherence to natural justice and the rule of law, evidentiary standards, unsupported conclusions, and perceived partiality by the Tribunal.
“The Tribunal’s report demonstrates a failure to articulate specific allegations against Mrs. Lara Taylor-Pearce, and former Deputy Auditor General, Mr. Tamba Momoh, miscalculation of legal standards, exclusive reliance of state witnesses while neglecting expert testimony from recognized authorities,” they noted.
They pointed out that the selective presentation of evidence compromised the Tribunal’s credibility and the integrity of its findings.
They stated that the Tribunal’s grounds for determining serious misconduct by Mrs. Lara Taylor-Pearce and Mr. Tamba Momoh are unfounded and insufficiently substantiated.
That the Tribunal’s perceived partiality undermines its recommendations for the removal of both the Auditor General and her Deputy from the Audit Service Sierra Leone. They called on Parliament to dismiss the recommendations by the Tribunal report and urged the Judiciary to expedite the Supreme Court case filed by Mrs. Lara Taylor-Pearce and ensure timely and fair hearing.
