Ambassadors, attaches recalled
April 26, 2018
President Bio: New Direction
President Julius Maada Bio yesterday, 25 April, issued a new executive order that sanctioned a raft of financial control measures, while in the same vein recalling all political appointees in Sierra Leone’s diplomatic missions overseas, including ambassadors and attaches, effective April 30, 2018.
“All political appointees in Sierra Leone’s diplomatic missions overseas including ambassadors and all attaches are hereby relieved of their duties effective April 30th, 2018,” he ordered.
President Bio further directed that with immediate effect, the purchase of vehicles by all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and public corporations is banned until a new management policy is put in place.
It executive order added that all public sector employees, with the exception of those under charged emoluments and those covered by an Act of Parliament, who have attained the retirement age of 60 years would be relieved of their duties effective May 31, 2018 and that the Accountant General and respective heads of MDAs were authorised to remove their names persons from the payroll by that date.
The presidential directives further ordered that all commitments by MDAs relating to overseas travel, including cost of tickets, should be within their approved budgets and ought to be cleared by the Ministry of Finance to ensure they are cost-effective and within budgetary limit.
It continued that in line with section 23 of the Bank of Sierra Leone Act of 2011, prices for contracts shall be quoted and payable only in the local currency – Leones – and that all existing contracts already quoted in foreign currency shall be paid for in Leones.
“All new contracts by MDAs and public corporations should be cleared by the Ministry of Finance to ensure they do not constitute a financial risk to the national budget,” he directed.
The directive ordered that all revenue collected by Sierra Leone’s diplomatic missions should be transferred to the Consolidated Revenue Fund with immediate effect and that by the same token the Ministry of Finance would remit regular disbursements to support their operations.