11. ACC Commissioner‟s „Meet the People Tour‟: Town Hall Meeting in Daru, Kailahun District Beneficiaries of the World Bank - supported COVID - 19 Emergency Response Program during a sensitization engagement in Gardorhun, Pujehun District .ACC and National Council for Civic Education and Development (NaCCED) staff after meeting to discuss the integration of anti - corruption issues into civic education programs ACC Commissioner delivers public lecture at the Canadian College of Modern Technology on the topic „How can we reclaim the strength of Sierra Leone in this age of Corruption‟ Students of the Canadian College of Modern Technology during the public lecture ACC Commissioner officially launching the „Compliance Sanc- tions Management and Enforcement Procedure Handbook‟ for MDAs „ Cross section of Representatives of MDAs at the launch of the Handbook ACC Commissioner‟s „Meet the People Tour‟: the people of Koindu, Kissi Teng Chiefdom welcoming the Commissioner Page 11

12. Published by the Anti - Corruption Commission Headquarters: 3, Gloucester Street, Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa Website: http//www@anticorruption.gov.sl Bo Office Address: 10 Bo Pujehun Drive, Kebbie Town Email: info@anticorruption.gov.sl Makeni Office Address: Mena Hill Reservation, Makeni Kenema Office Address: Reservation Road, Off Maxwell Khobe Street Kono Office: 37 Masingbi Road, Koidu City, Kono Port Loko : 27 Conteh Street, Port Loko Hotline Nos: 077 - 985985 , 077 986 986 , 515 (All Networks)

9. Page 9 T he Anti - Corruption Commission‟s (ACC) sub - regional office in Kono, has held community engagements in Waiima and Kunduma in Fiama Chiefdom, Kono District, aimed at sensitizing the people on the dangers posed by corruption and the need for them to join the fight. The two meetings took place on 30 th June and 1 st July, 2021 respectively. In her opening statement, the ACC Public Education Officer Hawa Deen Conteh told the audience that the engagement was to interact with them, identify corruption opportunities prevalent in their communities and suggest ways to curbing them. She went further to commend the people including stakeholders whom she referred to as „forces to reckon with in combating corruption‟ through their reporting of corruption offences. The ACC Regional Manager in Kono, Hawanatu O. Kamara, described the Commissioner, Francis Ben Kaifala as an „astute leader‟ while noting his achievement since his appointment three years ago. They include cash recovery of over 30 Billion Leones, a conviction rate of over 95% on all prosecuted matters, a 13 - place upwards progress on Transparency International Global corruption perception index, remarkable passes in the Millennium Challenge Corporation Control of Corruption Indicator with 71% in 2018, 79% in 2019 and 81% in 2020 as opposed to a failing 49% in 2017. She said corruption prevalence in Sierra Leone has also declined from 70% in 2017 to 40% in 2020. She added that the young energetic Commissioner has made corruption a risky venture which is evidence of his effectiveness in the fight against corruption. Public Education Officer Sam P. Gogra, in his submission outlined some of the corruption offences widespread in schools, hospitals, security sectors that are worsening poverty levels in rural communities; such as payment for assignments and report cards, injudicious use of school fees subsidies, inflation of school charges, abuse of the Free Health Care Program and payment of bribes for bail. He therefore reminded the audience that the aforementioned acts constitute corruption offences that attract upon conviction, a fine of not less than Fifty (50) Million Leones or a jail term of not less than Five (5) years or both such fine and imprisonment. While assuring the participants that the Commission is determined to improve the lives of every Sierra Leonean in ensuring that all forms of corruption are eliminated, the public educator implored the audience to always call the toll free lines of 515,077 - 985985/986986 to report corruption offences to the ACC for prompt action. Earlier, in his welcome statement, Town Chief, Waiima, Abdul Karim Koroma praised the Commission for such interactive engagement. He said they are pleased to have the ACC in their midst noting that, such engagement will help them identify corruption issues in their community and report same to the Commission. Chief Koroma on behalf of his people pledged his fullest support and cooperation with the ACC in the fight against corruption. Cross section of the audience listening to ACC staff

8. T he Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) Southern Region Office in Bo has convened an interactive engagement with the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Registrar and Heads of Examinations, Information and Technology Departments and core secretariat staff of the Korwama and Torwama campuses of the Njala University. The engagement took place on Tuesday 8 th June 2021 at University Conference Room, Bo Campus in Bo. In his statement, ACC Regional Manager, Musa J.B. Jawara underscored the significance of the engagement and described it as a process to re - engineer the academic structure of tertiary institutions. Mr.Jawara described universities as the beacon of progress because they train and nurture the country‟s human resource. He referenced Section 15 of the 1991 Constitution and Section 7 (1)(a) of the Anti - Corruption Commission as amended in 2019 which require the State to take necessary steps to eradicate corruption. Mr.Jawara said that progressive nations in the world consider prevention and public education as fundamental strategies in addressing issues of integrity and systems weaknesses. The Manager further highlighted illegal student admission, pervasive academic malpractices, forgery of certificates, class representatives collecting bribes on behalf of unscrupulous lecturers, poor attendance by some lecturers and sexual harassment as some of the thorny issues which have resulted in the serious decline in the standards of education. He catalogued a number of actions that should be instituted to strengthen the university administrative structure such as; maintaining integrity, answer booklets to be monitored and kept under tight control, exams to be invigilated by exams officers and not the subject lecturers, establish Integrity Management Committee (IMC) and ensure strict adherence to laws guiding the effective management of the university. ACC Senior Public Education Officer, Abdulai Saccoh, said the engagement should not be misunderstood as a ploy to vilify anyone but a moment to reflect on their actions. He registered the Commission‟s unwavering commitment to launder the image of public universities in collaboration with the administrations of the universities. He admonished the university administrators to institute or enforce effective and efficient monitoring of lecturers, invoke the necessary sanctions on defaulters, report corruption matters to the ACC, discourage the use of pamphlets, resist and reject bribes for grades. In his statement, Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC), Njala University, Bo Campus, Professor Mohamed Syed Fofanah admitted that engagements of such nature is important to the administration because it would not only heighten staff understanding on the issues raised but would also require them to take prompt and appropriate actions. He assured the Commission of their unweaving commitment to combating illegal practices and advised staff to adhere to the University codes of conduct coupled with anti - corruption measures. Page 8 ACC staff and adminstrators of Njala University during the Engagement

6. A s the Social Safety Net (SSN) Program is being rolled out to beneficiaries in mostly rural communities through direct cash transfers, the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) Eastern Region Office in Kenema, on 28th July 2021, engaged officers of the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) in the region on upholding integrity in the SSN program. The engagement took place at the NaCSA Eastern Region office in Kenema. Senior Public Education Officer ACC, Sulaiman B. Sowa described integrity as a vital tool that will guarantee transparency and accountability in the implementation of the SSN program, thereby preventing incidences of corruption. He said the work of NaCSA seeks to ensure social justice and poverty reduction which means that interaction between beneficiaries and NaCSA officers should be defined by honesty, impartiality, fairness and integrity.“Integrity facilitates transparency, prevents conflict of interest and ensures compliance with the law whilst promoting fair distribution of public benefits,” he added. Mr. Sowa concluded by stating that the implementation of the SSN will enable officers to harmonize polices and best practices, manage public integrity expectations and understand the regulatory framework on the use and management of public funds. Investigation Officer ACC, Quinton David explained some of the key offences in the Anti - Corruption Act of 2008 as amended in 2019 and outlined their corresponding penalties. He singled out Misappropriation of Public/Donor Funds/Property, Abuse of Office, Soliciting and Accepting Advantage and Bribery as offences that carry a minimum fine of Fifty Million Leones or a jail term of not less than Five Years or both. He therefore encouraged all to play by the rules and avoid all acts of corruption. Eastern Region Coordinator NaCSA, Moriba Foday said the engagement was necessary and fruitful as it availed them the opportunity to be reminded about their duty to serve within the ambits of the law. He paid tribute to the ACC for the tremendous gains made in the fight against corruption in the last three years. Mr. Foday described the SSN as the biggest project implemented by NaCSA and therefore pledged their unflinching support to the fight against corruption and urged all staff to manifest high levels of integrity at all times. The SSN program is an effort by the Government of Sierra Leone and the World Bank to tackle poverty among the poorest of the poor. It seeks to provide income support to 13,000 extremely poor households in targeted Districts through direct cash transfers implemented by NaCSA. The ACC is handling the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) component of the project. A question and - answer session climaxed the engagement. Page 6 NaCSA Officers pose with ACC Team after the Engagement

10. Contd from Pg.2 Locally, the National Corruption Perception Survey report for 2019 also stated that over 90% of respondents know about the AC C a nd its operations, while the prevalence of corruption dropped from 70% to 40%. In the past three years, the ACC has also recovered, through its model Non - Conviction Based Asset Recovery approach, over 30 Bil lion Leones. This strategy entails recovering stolen wealth from the corrupt in a bid to decisively give a blow to their ill - gotten w ealth. The wealth recovered includes a hotel and vehicles. This has helped in making corruption a high risk and low return venture. The Commission has also investigated and charged to court many cases, including high profile cases, thereby securing over 95 per cent conviction rate. Since 2018, the Commission has also mounted massive and robust public education drives geared towards educating Sierra Leonea ns about the ills of corruption and the benefits of a corrupt - free society. With its prevention drive across all public offices, the Commission has been able to instill integrity in public work and hel ped improve service delivery, transparency and efficiency. The good thing about all this is the fact that he has been able to dispel critics who claim that the Kaifala administration s eem s to go after members of the past administration than those of the current administration. Clearly, the cases I have counted show that many mo re people under this administration have been investigated and made to face the wrath of the anti - corruption laws. This goes with t he mantra of the Commissioner that the ACC will investigate all acts of corruption no matter who is involved and when they were committ ed – that is, be it past or present. Today, as a nation, we have not yet totally won the war against corruption, but where we find ourselves is not only historic, bu t admirable and exemplary. Many across Africa and the wider world see Sierra Leone as an example in the fight against corruption. Our stories and our mo del are being told across the world. It did not come as a surprise to some of us that the ACC Commissioner is now Chairman of the National Anti - Corruption Institutio ns of West Africa (NACIWA), a Board Member of the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption and one of the few International Anti - Corruption Champions, an honour conferred on him by the United States Government. Together with several other local and international awards and recognitions, the Commissioner has also served as keynote spea ker and guest of honour to deliver public lectures in many academic institutions. Indeed in the past three years, Sierra Leone‟s model of fighting corruption under the leadership of Francis Ben Kaifala has b een awesome, inspiring and productive. All things being equal, the country will only continue to make more inroads in the fight against corruption under the leaders hip of Francis Ben Kaifala, who others have started branding as the „Best ACC Commissioner‟ this country has ever had. Page 10 challenge and that is a fundamental issue to be addressed by all to ensure a better accountability space”. “If the underlying issues of cooperation in regard timely disclosure are tackled, most issues in the Audit Report will not recur,” he no ted. In her submission, the Auditor General (AG), Audit Service Sierra Leone, Lara Taylor - Pearce, maintained that, all MDAs should re alize that the AG‟s office is to be seen as a “watchdog rather than a bloodhound” and allow them to do their job. The resolution that meetings of this nature should be convened quarterly, as and when deemed necessary was agreed and thereaf ter the meeting was adjourned. Contd from Pg.1

1. Issue 14 Volume 37 July, 2021 Contd on pg 10 The Honorable Vice President, Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh (R) and ACC Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. at the meeting T he Honorable Vice President, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh on Tuesday 6th July, 2021 chaired a meeting of the Government High Level Accountability Platform held at the Office of the Vice Pres- i d e n t , T o w e r H i l l , F r e e t o w n . The newly formed Accountability platform comprising the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC), Parliamentary Accounts Committee, Audit Service Sierra Leone, Ministry of Finance, Public Sector Reform Unit, was established to ensure efficiency in the effort to improve performance and government accountability. This platform, the Hon. Vice President noted, will be an information sharing platform that will help in making better coordination of accountability issues, track and deliver on benchmarks, ensure compliance with Auditor - General‟s recommendations, and help support the ACC in controlling corruption in Sierra Leone. The meeting was attended by the Commissioner of ACC, the CEO of the National Public Procurement Authority, the Deputy Speaker and Chair of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC), the Financial Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, the Auditor General, the Coordinator of the Millennium Challenge Coordinating Unit (MCCU), the Minister of State in the VP‟s office and other support staff of the respective constituent institutions of the Platform. Ndeye Koroma, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MCCU, said the objectives of the high - level accountability platform centered on how government institutions can coordinate to enhance accountability and transparency to ensure citizens‟ trust in Government. “Pursuing these objectives requires a high - level involvement and presupposes a technical team to drive the process,” she said. The Team will work to integrating all international benchmarks in addition to the MCC and solving the systemic complications within MDAs, promoting collaboration and cooperation, taking a holistic view and approach in improving service delivery by identifying leakages, wastage, and inefficiencies through the implementation of strategies to address these issues. The lack of cooperation by MDAs was highlighted by the Anti - Corruption Commissioner, Francis Ben Kaifala as he noted that “cooperation of MDAs with auditors is a big Representatives of accountability institutions at the meeting

5. T he High Court Judge in Makeni, Justice Unisa Kamara, has cautioned local court authorities to refrain from acts of ex- tortion as such acts are inexcusable and attract punishment by law. The Judge issued the warning in a customized meeting with local court authorities organised by the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) office in the North - East region in Makeni intended to raise awareness on corrupt practices. The meeting targeted Local Court administrators in Bombali Shebora, Ma- karie, and Gbanti Chiefdoms to resist corruption. The engagement, which was held in the Conference Hall of the Commission‟s office on 6 th July 2021, was necessitated by repeated public reports on multiple forms of perversion of justice in the Local Courts. The learned Judge, condemned corruption and, in clear terms, said that local court officers „are sometimes excessive‟ in leveling fines or charges, adding that receipts are usually not issued once payments of fines or charges have been made to the court. He underscored the fact that funds raised by the local court belong to the public, and should therefore never be utilized personally. „You are not in these positions to amass wealth at the expense of the locals,‟ the Judge strongly said. As the „first port of call in the justice system‟, he went on, you should ensure you fairly dispense justice in order to maintain peaceful co - existence in the localities. Any action that gives you undue advantage in your various offices should equal an act of corruption, which cannot be justified. According to the ACC Prosecutor based in the region, the courts fall within the informal justice sector and have jurisdiction to apply customary laws in rural localities, and should refrain from corruption by maintaining a high level of integrity. Timothy P. M. Sowa Esq., stressed that a corrupt local court system was recipe for violations of human rights, particularly, to resources such as land. Senior District Officer (SDO), Abu Kamara, also con- firmed corruption in the local regime of justice, dis- closing that most local courts discard the General Receipt books administered by the Central Chiefdom Administrative Clerk to keep correct and full records of funds. They have illegal receipts produced instead, he noted. By this means, the SDO averred, no one can track accurate and comprehensive records of funds at the courts. „Funds raised by the local courts should be deposited into the chiefdom account, but this is large- ly not the case at all,‟ he said. Drawing from the testimonies that emerged, the ACC Senior Prevention Officer, Sylvester Sowa, suggested the need for a review of the processes and procedures of the local courts in an effort to empower them to fairly deliver justice. He said, for him, the meeting was an inception gathering as he assured the court authorities that the Prevention Unit, which has been recently deployed in the Northeast, would be of great benefit to the administration of customary laws in the nine local courts within the Municipality of Makeni and those from Makarie and Gbanti Chiefdoms. Page 5 ACC North - East Region meeting with the Local Court Authorities

7. Page 7 T he North - West Regional Office of the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) has assured the people of Tonkoh Limba chiefdom of immense improvement in their lives if they join and support the fight against corrupt practices in the chiefdom. This assurance was made on Wednesday 30th June 2021 at a sensitization meeting held at the Madina Court Baray, Madina Town, Tonko Limba Chiefdom, Kambia District. The meeting was part of ACC‟s public education drive aimed at educating and raising awareness in rural communities on corruption and its effects as well as soliciting public support. The Paramount Chief‟s representative, who also doubles as the Local Court Chairman, Foday Sorie Kargbo, heartily welcomed the ACC team and expressed profound thanks and appreciation for taking anti - corruption messages to chiefdom level. He acknowledged the strides made by the ACC and commended the Commission for the good work done in the fight against graft. Explaining the purpose of the meeting, Public Education Officer Mohamed Thullah said, corruption has permeated every aspect of society which has made public support as pivotal in addressing it. He made a comprehensible explanation of the three - prong approach of public ed- ucation, prevention and enforcement in combating corruption prevalence in the country. Regional Manager of the ACC North - West office Al - Hassan Sesay thanked local authorities for creating the opportunity to talk to residents of the Chiefdom. He informed the audience about the ACC Commissioner's visit to Kambia as part of his "Meet the People" tour which was to interact and get the views of the people on issues bordering on the fight against corruption . He pointed out that even though the Chiefdom has produced prominent people, there is not much the chiefdom can show in terms of development. “Tangible development and a better life will only be realized when you (the people of the chiefdom) own and support the fight against corruption, which he described as a common enemy to the development of the country. Mr. Sesay highlighted several corrupt practices across various sectors, including the local court administration, school system, health sector, among others. He decried acts of exploitation like the demand and levying of exorbitant fines outside the confines of the law, payment for bail in police stations, illegal practice of "booking" at checkpoints, illegal charges in schools, corruption and health centres, and misuse of public funds, among others. Mr. Sesay therefore urged local authorities and residents to resist and reject any act of corruption and always report using the toll free lines of 077985985, 077986986 or 515. In reporting corruption, he said, confidentiality and the protection of complainants and witnesses is always guaranteed by the Commission. A question - and - answer session and the presentation of Information, Education and Communication materials formed part of the engagement. The people of Tonko Limba Chiefdom during the Engagement

4. Page 4 T he National Anti - Corruption Strategy (NACS) Secretariat of the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) on Wednesday 23rd June 2021 held an engagement with Local Councils Coordinating Institutions to provide updates on the two monitoring exercises conducted on local councils on the implementation of the NACS 2018 - 2023. The meeting took place at the Conference Room of the ACC, 3 Gloucester Street, Freetown. The NACS is Sierra Leone‟s national plan to institute anti - corruption policies in Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Director of the NACS Secretariat, Nabillahi - Musa Kama- ra, gave a brief overview of the NACS 2019 - 2023, which is the fourth generation of NACS developed. He said since the establishment of the Commission, the monitor- ing is therefore the fourth exercise so far undertaken. He said that they have done two monitoring exercises on the current NACS; the first was geared towards doing a status analysis on the readiness of Implementation Committees in the various MDAs while the second was to identify issues around the implementation of the Strategy. Deputy Director of NACS, Edita Fofana, while declaring the purpose of the meeting, said that it is the responsibility of the Secretariat to lead in developing and coordinating the implementation of the Strategy, while it is the duty of public institutions to ensure that the document is fully implemented. She added that the current NACS seeks to bring on board the various pillars of integrity in the fight against corruption, thereby contributing to national development. She said the meeting was intended to encourage Local Councils to serve as role models to other public institutions and therefore encouraged them to be steadfast with the implementation of the Strategy. Wilfred Bangura, NACS Manager highlighted the findings on the monitoring exercise; which included issues of absenteeism, transfer without recourse to policy, abuse of position by some key functionaries, lack of coordination among institutions, poor records keeping, among others. He also highlighted recommendations to address these issues. Director of the Decentralization Secretariat, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Alex Bhonapha, acknowledged the issues raised, which he described as perennial. He assured that some of the recommendations such as, meeting with heads of the Local Councils, reactivating the Posting Committee, compliance sanctions to be put in place and integrity training, will be implemented. Staff of the NACS Secretariat and Local Councils Coordinating Institutions

2. Page 2 W hen, on 18 th June 2018, His Excellency Rtd. Brigadier Julius Maada Bio appointed the young, un- assuming Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. to lead the fight against corruption one of the President‟s three - pronged crusade of Indiscipline, Lawlessness and Corruption many people paid keen attention to what this appointment would produce. This is more so when the reputable international ratings on corruption control in the country at the time were grim, regrettable and woeful. For instance, in the area of „Control of Corruption‟ in the Millennium Challenge Corporation MCC) Scorecard, Sierra Leone was rated 49 percent. In Transparency International‟s Corruption Perception Index (CPI), Sierra Leone from 2016 to 2018 had a stagnated score of 30 and ranked 129 out of 180 nations. Back home, the Corruption Perception Survey Report indicated that the prevalence of corruption was at 70% and only about 19% of the people contacted by the survey indicated knowing about the ACC and its work. At the time, donor mistrust was rife and investors did not fancy doing business in Sierra Leone. So it was clear to all that corruption was posing an authentic and unambiguous existential threat to our survival as a people. These, among many others, were certainly not good to the ears of Sierra Leoneans and made many people to lose faith in the country‟s anti - corruption drive. The raging and seemingly unbridled spate of corruption was indeed a crisis then than never before. It was an emergency and Sierra Leone needed action and it was to be decisive. That was the battle the young Francis Ben Kaifala came to face. Indeed he was well aware of what he was facing and that was why he announced that “the crisis of corruption is an emergency of our time and fighting it is the urgency of today” . He went further to acknowledge that the image of our nation was already synonymous with corruption. The task this young man was faced with was unarguably mammoth and daunting. Matching him with that task at hand was unparallel for many as was the case when little known young David armed with just a sling confronted Goliath the Philistine who had rained terror, mayhem and calumny against Israel in (1 st Samuel 17:36 - 50 of the Holy Bible). In one his public engagements, Mr. Kaifala gave a stern warning to the corrupt and their affiliates: “ The line has been drawn today in the fight against corruption. All are warned; and you here listening should warn your relatives that are in public offices...anyone who cross- es the red line will be confronted.” The young ACC Commissioner was sharing the same platform at the Adjai Crowther Amphitheatre at Fourah Bay College, with the world - acclaimed anti - corruption activist Prof. PLO Lumumba, who was here on the invitation of the ACC to deliver a public lecture. Mr. Kaifala then labeled the fight against corruption as one that was directed at saving the soul of this nation, laundering her already battered image and restoring trust. He stated severally that the fight will be fierce but fair. Three years on, what are the concomitant effects of this young man‟s appointment at the helm of the fight against the monster of corruption? Blessed with a spirited team of staff who believe in the fight against corruption, unexpectedly, the man hit the ground running. Right from 2018 the indexes started changing favorably. By the end of 2018, Sierra Leone passed the MCC Control of Corruption Scorecard from a failing score of 49% to 71%. The following year of 2019, the score went to 79%. A further improvement was made in 2020 when the score went up to 81%. In the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, Sierra Leone shortly moved from a score of 30 to 33, which was above the Sub - Saharan average and then recording 12 steps upwards from a ranking of 129 to 117 in 2020. By Sylvester Boima, Social Commentator Contd on Pg.10

3. T he Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) has deployed Regional Senior Prevention Officers in the Provinces - stationed in Bo - to handle prevention issues in the South and East, and Makeni - to handle prevention matters in the North - West, North - East and Kono. This latest move by the Commission is in adherence to the popular adage, "Prevention is better than cure", and the need for the continued decentralization of the work of the Commission to ensure optimum and sustainable corruption control in every nook and cranny of the country. It is also expected that this very strategic corruption prevention move will be very critical to addressing corruption vulnerabilities across ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government and locals councils, as often highlighted by Annual Audit Reports. Their main functions will involve: examining financial records in public bodies and determining the extent of financial loss, conducting regional monitoring activities on the implementation of systems reviews and recommendations for both regional and headquarter reviews, and ensuring compliance of MDAs in the regions to legally adopted policies and programmes, laws, legislations and directives with acceptable standards, in tandem with international conventions, treaties and best practices. They will also provide expert knowledge in the development and implementation of ethical policies, implement programmes and activities in line with the Commission's mandate to reduce the general incentives for corruption in their various locations; working with existing Integrity Management Committees (IMCs) across MDAs in their various work stations. The current National Anti - Corruption Strategy (NACS) 2019 - 2023, which was launched at the Miatta Conference Centre by Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh in August 2019, places "Prevention" efforts at the heart of the Commission's work. This has seen the strengthening of the Prevention Department at the ACC and the conduct of systems and processes reviews in many MDAs. Notwithstanding these massive prevention drives, the Commission continues to produce record breaking results in investigations and prosecutions, with over 95% convictions in prosecuted cases within the last three years. Figures from recovery of stolen funds are also startling, with over 30 billion Leones recovered in the last three years. There have also been massive public education efforts which have positively changed perceptions about the fight against corruption, with citizens stating, in a survey by the Institute for Governance Reform in 2020 that, there has been a reduction in corruption in the public service from 70% in 2017 to 40% in 2020. Similarly, the ACC has also successfully deployed District Monitors across every district in the country to serve as focal or contact persons for complaints and general information on the work of the ACC in their various districts, where the Commission does not have an office. EDITOR - IN - CHIEF Abubakar Turay EDITORS Margaret Murray Moris Ibrahim Kanteh LAYOUT & GRAPHICS Philippa M Davies EDITORIAL ADVISERS Patrick Sandi Emmanuel Koivaya Amara Page 3