ACC dialogues with personnel of the SLP in Magburaka

In striving tirelessly to control and destroy graft in public and private sector institutions, the Anti-Corruption Commission Northern Regional Office has on Tuesday 19^th November 2013 dialogued with officers and the rank and file of the Sierra Leone Police, (SLP) Magburaka Division in Magburaka.  (Photo:Cross section of SLP personnel in Magburaka listening to anti-graft messages from ACC staff)

Welcoming ACC staff to the interactive meeting, the Support Officer Magburaka Division, Assistant Superintendent (ASP) Theodora I. George on behalf of the Local Unit Commander (LUC) Superintendent (Supt) Francis Benya expressed immense appreciation to the ACC for the move as it will help tremendously in putting the personnel on their toes to be cautious in their dealings.  ASP George reiterated that the SLP was doing its bit to sensitize its membership on the dangers of corruption and its damaging impact on the image of the SLP.  She assured the ACC that SLP Magburaka will continue to stand tall and rebrand the Force as the SLP is wrongly perceived by the public to be corrupt.

Advancing the rationale for the engagement, ACC’s District Coordinator Tonkolili, Abdulai Saccoh underscored that fighting corruption was the business of all Sierra Leoneans not only the ACC.  He furthered that the engagement was to enlist the SLP in the anti-graft campaign as they played a very critical role to the development of the Country.  Mr. Saccoh emphasized that the negative consequences of corruption were wide-ranging making it imperative on all and sundry to take the fight seriously.  He informed his listeners that the ACC was merely leading the fight and therefore needed the unflinching support of all citizenry.

Discussing the corruption offences and their penalties, ACC’s Regional Manager North Mr. Patrick Sandi appealed to the SLP to partner with the ACC as the fight was an essential ingredient to the development process of the Country.  Manager Sandi outlined the many areas where the ACC and SLP interface noting critically that ACC Senior Management have had meetings with the Executive Management Board of the SLP, all in the bid to strengthening the good working relationship between the two institutions and the need to moving the fight against corruption forward in Sierra Leone.

Mr. Sandi identified offences like soliciting and accepting advantage, abuse of office and position, peddling influence, conflict of interest, accepting advantage to protect an offender from legal proceedings, misappropriation of public/donor Funds and Property, receiving gifts for corrupt purposes as very relevant to the work of the SLP and advised them to be upright and discharge their duties in a corrupt free fashion.  The ACC Regional Boss revealed that the penalties for each of the offences is a fine of not less than Thirty Million Leones (Le 30,000,000) or a jail term of not less than three (3) years or suffer both.

Dilating on how to report corruption cases to the ACC, the Senior Public Education Officer North, Al-Hassan Sesay stressed that there were diverse ways to report to the ACC and that informants would be protected.  Mr. Sesay highlighted the benefits of reporting corruption to the ACC and emphasized that it will expose the corrupt and consequently reduces on the occurrence.  “Do not make malicious or false report as it is punishable by law” the Senior Public Educator warned.

Various speakers lamented over their poor working conditions and challenged the ACC to do all it could to address the causes of corruption, such as low salaries.

Questions and answers climaxed the interactive engagement.

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