Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the goal of jointly fighting economic crimes.
Officials say the collaboration will increase the chance of producing better results against financial crimes in the country.
According to a statement from the ACC, the MoU signed on Monday provides for the two institutions to “assemble, develop and analyze information in their possession concerning financial transactions suspected of being related to corruption, money laundering, terrorist financing or related unlawful activities.
ACC Commissioner, Francis Ben Kaifala, said at the signing ceremony at the commission’s secretariat that economic and financial crimes were responsible for the poor economic state of the country, and that there was the need for this kind of synergy to strengthen the fight against such crimes and general acts of corruption.
The FIU, established in 2012 as part of the fulfilment of a regional requirement, is charged with the core task of policing the activities of financial institutions and designated non-financial business and professions.
Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, Director of FIU, said they have been identifying institutions that would add value to the work of the Unit does and that they believed the ACC would make their work better, given the “zest” the commission was showing in the fight against corruption.
KC/as/APA