The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Regional Office in Kono on 7^th June 2022, held an interactive session with the management and staff of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) in Kono and Elite Solutions-a company charged with the responsibility of procuring meters, and discussed key corruption issues in service delivery and means of preventing them.

The interactive engagement, which took place at the EDSA Office in Koidu, was part of ACC’s sustained efforts in raising awareness about corruption in service delivery.

ACC’s Senior Public Education Officer, Sam P. Gogra, applauded the staff for their relentless efforts in ensuring that electricity is provided to the people in the municipality, noting that electricity is one of the engines for a nation’s growth and development. He however noted that the ACC Regional Office in Kono is inundated with reports in respect of erratic power supplies, faulty lines and transformers, delays in receiving meters and reconnections, among others. “Corruption in EDSA will always lead to poor service delivery and a huge loss of revenue to the State,” he said.

Mr Gogra therefore called on the Management of EDSA to mainstream anti-corruption measures in its operations by having a functional and formidable Integrity Management Committee (IMC) and a citizens’ Service Delivery Charter to display services provided and their costs. “To reduce corruption in your operations, your IMC should be seen active in internalizing preventive measures against corruption and the citizens’ service delivery charter will also increase the public’s confidence in your operations,’’ he concluded.

ACC’s Senior Investigation Officer, Alpha G. Koroma, referred to the public officers as energetic, young and productive Sierra Leoneans whose contribution to the nation’s positive transformation is extremely required. He said that the ACC is not a witch-hunt entity but one that seeks to ensure effective, efficient, affordable and accessible service delivery in all public institutions.

Mr Koroma explained some of the key corruption-related offences, including offering, soliciting and accepting advantage, misappropriation of donor and public funds and property, abuse of office and position, failure to protect public revenue, conspiracy, among others. “The penalties on conviction for each of the aforementioned offences is a fine of not less than Fifty Million Leones or a prison term of not less than five years or both such fine and jail term,” he stated.

Mr Koroma therefore encouraged the staff to perform their duties diligently and professionally and do their best in overcoming challenges that create opportunities for corruption.

Appreciating the ACC for the interactive session, the Station Head of EDSA Kono, Engineer Moses A. Sesay said that some of their main functions are to collect and retail power from the Electricity Generation and Transmission Company (EGTC), sell to the consumers and collect revenues for the Authority. He pledged to work in close collaboration with the Commission to prevent corruption in their institution.