President Koroma rejects mouth-watering salary increase

Written by James Lebbie

Monday, 25 August 2008

The Office of the President says it views with concern press reports about a proposed increase in the salary of President Ernest Bai Koroma. In a press statement issued on Friday, the State House Press Secretary says that President Koroma is unaware of such an increase, was never consulted on such an increase, and is not interested in such an increase. In a statutory instrument published on the 7th of August titled, “The State Salaries, Pensions, Gratuities and other Benefits Act 2003, the document among other things states that the monthly salary of the President should be twenty-five million Leones while that of the Vice President is twenty Million Leones. According to the statutory instrument, both are also entitled to a pension of forty percent of their basic salary with seventy-five percent of their pension to be paid to their spouses in the event of death for a period of twelve years. Both the president and vice president are each entitled to the sum of sixteen thousand five hundred US Dollars for the establishment of an office with one thousand five hundred US Dollars each for the monthly running of their offices.They are each entitled to an annual rent of twelve thousand, five hundred US Dollars. Ministers and their deputies that have served for a period of five years will be entitled to a monthly pension of 40 percent of their gross salary. The increment will be retroactive, meaning that this arrangement willtake effect from the second of April 1996. This means that members of the former government will also benefit from the new pay increment. President Koroma’s Press secretary says it is only now that State House has seen a copy of the Act in question.The statement says the fact that the Act is called the State Salaries, Pensions, Gratuities and Other Benefits Act 2003, means that it was an Act piloted before this government came into power. The press secretary says President Koroma wants to make it categorically clear that his interest is in the welfare of the people of Sierra Leone and not in an increment in salary.

Last Updated ( Monday, 25 August 2008 )

 

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