Sierra Leone’s anti-graft agency has warned against the misuse of funds designated for the fight against Covid-19, vowing to prosecute any individual or organization suspected of involvement in a corrupt deal.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) made the warning as it announced the establishment of the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) Response Transparency Task Force, which it says will have the primary role to ensure and instill integrity, accountability and transparency in the utilization and management of funds appertaining to the response to the pandemic.
The Commission cited provisions in the Budget and Accountability Act of 2006 and the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008 as Amended in 2019, dealing with Mismanagement and Misappropriation of Public and Donor Funds and Property as basis for its possible actions.
“All National and International Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are encouraged to make public any moneys, donations and pledges received for and on behalf of the people of Sierra Leone in regard the control and containment of this pandemic,” the ACC said in a statement.
“Any complaint of suspected acts of corruption and/or corrupt practices in the Corona Virus Response programmes will be investigated as a matter of priority and urgency under the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 as Amended in 2019,” it added.
The Commission went further to issue out numbers it urged the public to make complaints or reports through in the event of a suspected corrupt act.
The move is seen as a pre-emptive action against a possible repeat of the experience of the fight against Ebola, when millions of US Dollars were reportedly diverted into personal pockets, leaving healthcare workers struggling to cope amidst inadequate medications and personal protective gears.
KC/abj/APA