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Anti Corruption gets tough against three entities |
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Written by Francis Sowa
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Wednesday, 24 June 2009 |
The Steering Committee of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) has subpoenaed three senior public officials.
The officials were to explain why they failed to submit to the Anti-Corruption Commission their institutions performance tracking or feedback on the implementation of their Action Plans for the first quarter of 2009.
The officials are Sheku Tamu, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, John Brima, Acting General Manager, Sierra Leone Airports Authority and Alieu Sesay, Commissioner General National Revenue Authority. Shollay Davies, Director of the NACS Coordinating Secretariat, read out to each public officer the consequences of non-compliance as stipulated in Section eight sub-sections four and five of the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 as amended. The section provides that the head of a public body which fails to comply with instructions of the commission or variation commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not less than five million leones. It also says the head of the public body shall be subject to disciplinary measures including dismissal or removal from office by the appropriate authority notwithstanding the provisions of their letter of appointment.The Chairman of the Steering Committee, Emile Carr, further requested each public officer to give reasons why the stipulations of the sections quoted from the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 should not be invoked against them.The three public officers on behalf of their institutions accepted the charge of non-compliance levied by the steering committee and asked for pardon.They promised to be more pro-active on the implementation of their Action Plans and their reporting responsibilities.The steering committee dismissed all the three men and promised to communicate to them the decision of the committee.
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The News 
