4. Page 4 “Our rating starts from 0 - 49% which is a No Compliance and we will issue an indictment; from 50% - 79% is a moderate compliance and it attracts a warning letter; from 80% - 90% is a Significant Compliance and we will further engage the institution, and beyond that is Significant Compliance", he stated. Mr. Blake commended the SLNFF, but he said they are in the same category nonetheless with M oWR. He however maintained that out of the recommendations, the Commission is cognizant of the N on - applicable ones that are mostly concerned with other institutions like the Ministry of Finance. He ended by reminding them to ensure they declare their Income, Assets and Liabilities, emphas izing on the importance and the punitive sanctions for defaulters. Speaking on the roles and functions of the Prevention Department, Senior Public Education Officer, C hristiana Jusu stated that the Prevention Department is at the core of the work of the Comm ission, and it exclusively works with MDAs, to identify system deficiencies, and proffer recommendations for best practices to maximize performance. This she said,is done by conducting Systems Reviews, provide recommendations, implements effective monit oring and also conduct ethics and integrity trainings. The Commission under its current leadership, put s premiumon Prevention, she averred. The meetings were chaired in Kono by the Regional Manager, Hawanatu Omotayo Kamara, in Kenema by the Senior Public Education Officer, Edward Blake, and in Kailahun by the Public Relations Assistant, Alex A. B ah, who also established the purpose of the meetings at its various locations. An interactive questions and answers sessions, climaxed the engagements. ALEX A. BAH, PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSISTANT, ACC Contd. from Pg 3 Face book accounts, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, professional Linkedln handle he keeps them routinely updated with worthy contents reflecting his life and work that meets a growing audience of admirers. One day, he might write about the milestones achieved at the Anti - Corruption Commission, while the next day he could share his experiences at Harvard. Francis Ben Kaifala is amazing at handling social media as a public official! He is the Anti - Corruption Commissioner and always stays calm when responding on social media, which shows how emotionally mature he is. He never censors his page and instead, listens to citizens' concerns through social media. He's rea lly good at balancing what information should be shared and what should be kept private. Plus, he's probably the only public of ficial who interacts with social media bloggers and influencers, which is pretty neat! PAUL A. CONTEH, THE VERSE LOG Contd. from Pg 1

3. Page 3 I n a nationwide engagement with various Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) has enlisted and engaged Heads/ Representatives of MDAs in popularization of the contents of Three Corruption Prevention Reports developed by the Prevention Department of the Commission. These engagements that targeted the Eastern Region - Kono, Kenema and Kailahun on the 23rd, 24th and 25th April, 2024, respectively, at the District Councils Halls, mirrored Systems Review and Monitoring and Compliance Reports of the National Telecommunications Authority (NaTCA), Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) and the Sierra Leone National Fire Force (SLNFF), with support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA). In the nub of statements made by the Team Lead, Sylvanus Blake, Public Relations Officer, ACC detailing the contents of the Reports, stated that the Commission is poised to share the findings, recommendations and performance tracker of the specific institutions as contained in the Reports, as a wakeup call to them and other MDAs on the need to ensure maximum Compliance. He stated that the crux of the issues in the Reports border on Procurement, Fuel Management, Performance Appraisal, Audit, Revenue Generation Sylvanus Blake, ACC’s Public Relations Officer, admonishing Heads/Reps. of various MDAs present in Kenema MDA Representatives raptly listening to ACC staff in Kailahun ALEX A. BAH, PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSISTANT, ACC and Human Resource. He disclosed that the Review Report of NaTCA shows that there are a number of issues, with some being positive and a huge chunk of them includes questionable reduction of Licenses which he noted is a primary revenue generation avenue, absence of an Audit Committee and understaffed audit unit, fleet management, stores, financial management and absence of petty cash, budgetary management, human resource, Corporate Governance, among others. "NaTCA presented to our team an audit plan which only contains positive things and audit plan is also a risk management plan that should contain negatives that can be foreseen and plans to respond to them. We also realized that internal audit queries are not respected. So our next Compliance Monitoring will be critical to determine the strong actions we shall take or not" he furthered. He dilated on the Monitoring Report of MoWR, stating that the institution within 3 months of receipt of the Commission's Systems and Processes Review Recommendations achieved 56% Compliance Rate, by fully implementing 24 out of 43 recommendations. He also stated that the Sierra Leone National Fire Force (SLNFF), on the other hand achieved 75% Compliance Rate. Contd on Pg 4 Heads/Reps of various MDAs at the Engagement in Kono District

1. 6th—10th May 2024 Issue 2 Volume 16 INTEGRITY HOUSE, TOWER HILL FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE EDITORIAL TEAM EDITOR - IN - CHIEF Abubakarr Turay EDITORS Sylvanus Blake Alex A. Bah LAYOUT & GRAPHICS Philippa M. Davies EDITORIAL ADVISERS Augustine Foday Ngobie Patrick Sandi refuses to censor his pages. He employs social media to review citizens’ concerns that affect his work, all while maintaining a great balance between public information and personal ambitions. To start with, the Anti - Corruption Commission, like any other institution, has faced controversy and criticism for their actions. One incident that stands out is the display of teachers at Cotton Tree, which drew significant attention. Despite this, the anti - graft czar chose not to take a defensive stance but instead displayed a remarkable level of emotional maturity by I n the 21st century, the world has become more global, digitally advanced, and transparent. information flows at a fast- er pace and innovation is necessary to keep up with the times. In a complex matrix where nothing significant can be achieved without proper planning and implementa- tion, social media has become a useful tool for public officials to connect with the people they serve. I closely monitor numerous Sierra Leone public officials across various social media platforms, and I must say that the Anti - Corruption Commissioner stands out in terms of handling social media effectively. Francis Ben Kaifala is a prime example of emotional maturity on social media, and he PAUL A. CONTEH, THE VERSE LOG ACC Commissioner, Francis Ben Kaifala Esq allowing the situation to settle down. He honored media interviews on the issue, and by choosing not to take a position on social media, he prevented the situation from escalating any further. This example is a clear demonstration of the anti - graft czar's leadership and emotional intelligence. The Commission has also dealt with other complex issues that have created social media trends, and they have handled them with the utmost professionalism. In addition, public officials wield significant power when it comes to censoring comments on their pages, particularly in light of constant criticism. Although Francis has performed well at the Anti - Corruption Commission, he is not impervious to criticism. Nonetheless, he chooses to retain comments from those who disagree with him or his work. Mr. Kaifala recognizes that true leadership development requires listening to both his supporters and detractors. Furthermore, I was personally present when Mr. Kaifala addressed bloggers and social media influencers in Sierra Leone. He challenged these young patriots to act as a crucial bridge between the Commission and the citizens. Mr. Kaifala demanded that they communicate the concerns of ordinary citizens to the Commission and further accelerate the visibility of Anti - Corruption Commission content on their respective platforms. In conclusion, the Anti - Corruption Commissioner strikes the perfect balance between using his pages to provide public information and sharing his personal stories. From his two Contd on Pg 4

2. Page 2 T he Deputy Commissioner of the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) Augustine Fo- day Ngobie has on Thursday, 24 th April, 2024, faced the scrutiny of the Parliamentary Committee on Appointments following his re - appointment as Deputy Commissioner of the ACC, by His Excellency, the President, Dr. Jul- ius Maada Bio. In the Committee Room No. 1, the Deputy Commissioner Augustine Foday Ngobie responded to questions asked by the Committee members comprising eleven (11) Honorable members from the two political parties in Parliament - The Sierra Leone Peoples Party and the All Peoples Congress Party. The Parliamentary Appointments Committee is responsible for the interviewing and vetting of Presidential nominees before their final approval in the Well of Parliament. Hon. Mathew Sahr Nyuma, Chairman of the Committee and Leader of Government Business in the House of Parliament started the vetting process by asking Au- gustine Foday Ngobie about the content of the documents he had presented to Parliament earlier. Documents such as his Assets Declaration, Academic Certificates, Bank Statements, among others, were carefully vetted to ensure their authenticity. Hon. Nyuma asked the Deputy Commissioner about the operations of the Commission and his work over the years. As the vetting process continued, questions were asked by Hon. Veronica Kadie Sesay, Hon. Emilia Lohloh Tongi, Hon. Aaron Aruna Koro- ma, Hon. Abdul K. Kamara, Hon. Francis Amara Kaisamba, to name but a few. They asked questions relating to, the strategies employed by the Commission in combating corruption, the representation of wom- en in the operations of the Commission, the independence of the Commission and the use of the Scorpion Squad to intervene into schools in the Provinces too, in regard to cases of admissions into Senior Secondary Schools. Responding to these questions, Deputy Commissioner Mr. Ngobie brilliantly stated that the Commission has deployed several strategies over the years through systems reviews conducted in MDAs which has limited the presence of corruption, robust public education across the country, the scorpion squad which is an intelligence led and very effective team, asset declaration. “Several Investigations have been conducted which has led to indictments and convictions of persons and the recovery of Millions of New Leones and Properties” he said. He catalogued the gains made by the Commission and the significant progress in the fight against corruption in the Afro - Barometer 2023. Mr. Ngobie further told the Parliamentarians that concerning female representation and the 30% quota for women, the ACC has exceeded the requirement, as it has three female Managers in the five Deputy Commissioner ACC, Au- gustine Foday Ngobie taking the oath in Parliament AMIE MASSAQUOI, INFORMATION OFFICER, ACC. Deputy Commissioner, ACC Mr. Ngobie listening to the questions posed Regional Offices of the Commission, which are, in Makeni, Kono and Port Loko. He also said the Investigation and Human Resource Departments are headed by females; whilst the Asset Declaration and Administrative Departments have females as Deputy Directors. The Deputy Commissioner assured the Committee members that the Commissioner even though he is away has been very supportive to him. He added that they have been in close and constant consultation through phone calls, emails and whatsapp regarding the operations of the ACC and the fight against corruption in Sierra Leone. It could be recalled that on the 5 th April, 2024, Augustine Foday Ngobie was re - appointed as Deputy Commissioner of the ACC for final five - year term. Mr. Ngobie joined the Commission in 2003 and has held several positions within the ACC. Until his appointment as Deputy Commissioner ACC in 2019, he was Deputy Director Intelligence and Investigations Department. In his capacity as Deputy Commissioner, he has received numerous Awards and Accolades for his outstanding work and leadership. The panel of Parliamentarians in the Committee Room 1