Corruption at Lands … Donor Freezes ICF Funding
Facts gathered reveal how organizations lending financial support to Sierra Leone’s ‘Lands registration project’ have withheld funding due to rampant corruption.
It is disclosed that the donors reached at freezing the account of Investment Climate Facility (ICF), owing to the fact that officials of Lands Ministry have had free time withdrawing and putting into their pockets, monies meant for public use.
Inside sources say the Director of Lands, Dr. William Farmer and his Permanent Secretary have had field days misappropriating monies in the ICF account at GT Bank.
It has reached this press that the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), some months past, initiated investigation on the conduct and use of monies allegedly withdrawn form the ICF account by persons having the responsibility of implementing the ‘Lands registration project.’
One Maada Konneh, an employee of the ACC, was formerly in charge of the investigation and was having in his possession, photocopy of cheques in relation to monies illegitimately withdrawn by Lands Ministry officials from the ICF foreign accounts.
The view, we are told, went confused when it was noticed that the investigation unceremoniously stocked up without reason.
Unconfirmed disclosures say that the ACC investigation came to an abrupt halt owing to the fact that checkbook inducement was made somewhere sometime.
That even government’s counterpart financial supports is said to have been choked into private pockets of officials assigned to the project.
It must be noted that the World Bank and other partners have poured thousands of US dollars in funds tagged as ‘Investment Climate Facility;’ and which provide financial support to the ‘Lands registration project.’
It is revealed also that staff employed to such a project has had no salaries for five complete months.
Sources say even government’s counterpart support has not been used by implementing Lands Ministry officials judiciously.
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