President Koroma calls for World Leaders to curb corruption
The proud sons and daughters of the Republic of Sierra Leone should applaud President, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma’s leadership role at this time and deserves to be given a standing ovation. His speech at this U.N. General Assembly on Thursday September 23rd, 2010, was awesome, spell bounding and mesmerizing. He must be much-admired and congratulated. During his speech, Dr. Koroma echoed to the world leaders about transparency and accountability and takes “No” for an answer when it comes to corruption. He continuously echoes that, his administration is not to buttress political members that are guilty or cited for corruption. With his charismatic and confident looks at the UN Assembly Hall, his interview with CNN, our able president emphasized that; the only way for good governance is Accountability and Transparency and we have to stand up and fight corruption, especially for those who embezzle government funds. (Photo: President Ernest Bai Koroma)
During President Koroma’s first official visit as a president in 2008, at Rutgers University – New Jersey, his message was for real. He echoed to stand very firm for good governance and to set up a task force to curb corruption. The articulated and charming president – Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma continuously reverberate the warnings that, corruption in any organization or government institutional body is a crime. It’s a crime like those who steal government monies or property of an employer, a nation, or a government. Such actions will not lead them anywhere but in jail. This is a crime that he will never buttress.
In Sierra Leone today, some world leaders are giving President Koroma’s leadership a high rating mark. Working audaciously and fearlessly to curb corruption left behind by the Sierra Leone Problem Party, was not an easy task, but the indefatigable work of the Anti-corruption Task Force, they were able to go after some civil servants that are convicted of corruption or pilfering of government funds. Embezzlement is a bad practice which is also known to be the illegal transfer of government money, or property to one’s use. Moreover, President Koroma warns his government Ministers that, the fraudulent intent of embezzling government funds is the intent to deprive the people’s monies. If you take the peoples sustainable funds and divert these funds to your own use, you will face the ACC. Moreover, even where a person intended to eventually return what he/she took, it is still embezzlement. As we are all aware, misappropriation or the stealing of any government funds, is the fraudulent act to deceive the people who voted for you and to whom all the monies of a nation were entrusted.
Conscientiously, the act of stealing, misusing of the peoples funds or embezzlement takes many forms. This intolerable act with some of our government officials typically occurs in the employment and corporate settings in an institutional government. Examples include; a store clerk who takes goods from the store, sell these goods and puts the money in their own pocket, or it could mean a bank manager stealing customer deposit receipts and accounting information, and then siphoning the cash money into his own pocket. This is wrong and it will never be condoned nor be acceptable.
In retrospect, some other countries around the world especially in the United States, embezzlement of public funds is considered as a grand theft and is usually punishable as a felony, especially; an aggravating circumstance occurs where as a victim of embezzlement is an elderly person, thus justifying the imposition of the high term. An example of a mitigating circumstances would be where the embezzler makes full restitution to the victim, so long as it is prior to the information being laid down before the magistrate or the grand jury’s indictment for corruption. It is in the judge’s discretion to alter the sentencing scheme in light of the weight of the mitigating circumstances. However, unless it is specifically precluded by a statute, a judge can sentence a convicted felon to a grant of probation. Among other things, the court may require the defendant, as a term and condition of probation, to serve local jail time, pay fines, complete community service and pay restitution. In Sierra Leone, the judiciary procedures are different; however, President Koroma is getting to the point wherein he will be taking the bull by the horn to all his departments.
Conclusively, this is America Jack! Sierra Leoneans around the world need to applaud President Koroma’s leadership and the promise that “he will not allow perpetrators and wrongdoers to take the center stages in our communities”, Dr. Koroma emphatically emphasized. “We will work hard to crub corruption for Attitudinal Change”, he concluded.
By Essa Thaim Kurugba, Member, WDC, USA
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