As a demonstration of the Anti-Corruption Commission’s commitment to strengthen ties with other accountability institutions, the Commission’s southern region office on Thursday, 9^th October 2025, engaged staff of the Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL) in Bo at the ASSL Conference Room, Stock Road, Reservation in Bo.

ACC’s Senior Public Education Officer, Abdulai Saccoh, said that the engagement was intended to move the already-existing mutual partnership between the two accountability institutions to another tier and to also draw their attention to some practices that have the proclivity to compromise the integrity of their work.

Saccoh encouraged them to always put the country's interest first, and serve with distinction and loyalty. He alsoadmonished the ASSL staffnot to engage in any unlawful practices that would breach public trust and expose the institution to ridicule.

The Senior Public Education Officer reminded the participants of the consequences that await anyone convicted of corruption offences- which may amount to a fine of not less than Fifty Thousand Leones, or imprisonment for a term not less than five years, or both such fine and prison term. “I therefore encourage you to serve diligently because your action today determines the future of this country,” he concluded.

In his statement, ACC’s Public Education Officer, Mohamed A. Kabba, acknowledged the pivotal support ASSL continued to provide to the Commission through the sharing of pertinent information. He said that when staff of ASSL who are supposed to be guardians of public resources are compromised then the entire systems will collapse.

Kabba highlighted that bribe solicitation, falsification of documents, suppression of evidence, conflict of interest,disclosure of sensitive audit findings and fraudulent use of ASSL official resources can erode the institution's ethical foundation. He called on the administration to implement mandatory peer review exercises, especially in high-risk areas before the commencement of every new audit year to help guard the staff against audit dilemmas.

Public Education Officer, ACC, David Garrick, affirmed that, the engagement was in tandem with the Commission’s strategic approach to empower pillars of integrity with anti-corruption messages so that its staff can speak and stand against corruption. Garrick recognized that fighting corruption should not be seen as the business of the ACC alone, but rather as the civic responsibility of all citizens. He therefore encouraged them to take pride in doing the correct thing at all times and have the courage to expose the corrupt. 

Earlier in the meeting, Assistant Auditor General, South, Amos Belden Ngakui stated that ASSL has the mandate to audit the central and local government, public enterprises, the central bank, state-owned commercial banks, and other state-owned financial corporations. Mr. Ngakui appreciated the Commission's public awareness drive, which he said will help to demystify the work of the ACC. Ngakui called on his colleagues to always adhere to the ASSL code of ethics.