It has come to the attention of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), that some Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) or Projects and their fiduciary staff have not been implementing donor projects appropriately, thereby causing the Government of Sierra Leone to incur loss by making refund payments on donor projects where implementation of these projects could not meet the expected and required standards agreed with Donors.
In that regard, the Commission is informing ALL public officials that the following measures with regard implementation of donor funded projects as stated in this Press Release, must be strictly adhered to, failing which will lead to SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES including, the responsible individuals (public officials) REFUNDING the money through ACC for onward payment to the Donors by the Government of Sierra Leone, AND face criminal prosecution under the Anti-Corruption Act 2008, as amended in 2019, where deemed necessary.
The measures identified by the ACC that have led to projects requiring refunds from the Government include severally as follow (all are subject to specific project guidelines and rules);
1. That, all payments made after the project closing date are ineligible expenditure, and therefore must not be made except with the express extension from the donor.
2. An approval must be granted by the funders for any expenses after the project closing date, and all expenses after the project closing date must be approved by the authorised project signatories.
3. Any additional disbursements or advances are contingent on complete retirement or justification of the money previously received.
4. All activities must be in line with the approved Annual Work Plan, and any adjustments to the approved work plan must have the explicit approval of the funders.
5. All project Bank Account(s) should remain dormant at the project closing date, as all unutilized funds in the project bank accounts, after project closing date must be transferred to the funders with evidence of refund retained by the project.
6. Where there is need for an extension of the project, a letter reqesting same must be sent to the funders for their approval. An approval in writing must be received and silence will not be considered as an approval by the Donor.
7. Also, that when there is change of signatories to the project bank account, it must be communicated to the funders.
8. More importantly, if there is a Manual or Handbook that outlines Guidelines on the project implementation, it must be adhered to strictly.
The Commission is going to set up a Task Force to audit all pending projects and accordingly hold accountable Project Heads and/or Fiduciaries, particularly Project Accountants and Auditors, where there are anomalies that may lead to liabilities to the Government.
The ACC reiterates its statutory responsibility to protect public and donor funds, and therefore advises public officers to follow due processes and procedures in the implementation of donor projects, as defaulters will be held personally accountable for any losses that may be ascribed to the Government and the full powers of the Commission will be used to enforce the content of this Notice henceforth.
For further enquiries on this and other ACC matters, please contact Alex A. Bah, Public Relations Assistant, on +232-78-004714 or via email info@anticorruption.gov.sl.
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PATRICK SANDI
DIRECTOR, PUBLIC EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
