May 16, 2019
By Ibrahim Tarawallie
Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has reminded auditors, finance & procurement officers, who served as fiduciaries in public institutions, about the brutal nature of the commission when it comes to the fight against corruption.
“We at the ACC will be very brutal with people who are fiduciaries and cut within the corruption net. We will also be brutal with people who are supposed to be auditors but ended up in corruption. It is not a threat but an admonition as all of us are partners and whenever procurement rules are not followed, everything that follows is corruption as it will lead to misappropriation of public funds, among others,” Francis Ben Kaifala noted.
He was speaking yesterday at the Cathedral Hall on Gloucester Street in Freetown during training on ethics and integrity in the workplace for auditors, finance and procurement officers in ministries, departments and agencies.
He admonished participants that as fiduciaries in their various departments, they have to be epitome of integrity by making sure systems and processes, rules and regulations, as well as financial controls, which are to be adhered to and done properly, must be reflected in them.
Commissioner Kaifala noted that even though their salary, work conditions and the environment around them may be inadequate, they should be aware that they have a duty to their conscience, God and country.
“Today, what is happening here is within our preventive mandate. We are giving you the best for you to do your work in a transparent way. Your work is an extension of what we do at the commission and you make our work very easy,” he said.
Because they as fiduciaries will be held with greater responsibility when something went wrong, the ACC czar admonished them to always hold their wrong whenever they think something is wrong.
According to him, Sierra Leone is in an era where it can decide to break away from the past so that government service delivery to the people can be repositioned with integrity and transparency, as well as an atmosphere that is fair for all.
Director of Systems and Processes Review Department, Rashid Turay, urged participants to make good use of what they will learn during the course of the training.
He said the rationale behind the training was to capacitate auditors, finance and procurement officers in MDAs with the right tools to serve their institutions well.
“Your role is critical in the operations of your various offices which is why we have organize this ethical and integrity training in the workplace. Ethical culture is very crucial in the workplace,” he said.