By Shadrach Aziz Kamara
Freetown, Sierra Leone – The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Acting Chairman Hon. P.C. Kargobai, has revealed significant financial irregularities and missing documentation in the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone’s (ECSL) expenditures related to election activities.
During a detailed review of ECSL’s financial records, the PAC identified serious concerns about the absence of fuel distribution lists, receipts, and incomplete retirement of impress funds disbursed for election operations nationwide.
The committee disclosed that Le 3.6 billion was reportedly spent on fuel, motorbikes, and other logistical support. However, no supporting fuel receipts or distribution records were initially available for audit verification, prompting fears that payments might have been made without corresponding deliveries.
ECSL’s Director of Finance was ordered to submit all outstanding receipts and distribution lists for proper scrutiny. To date, fuel receipts totaling Le 3,092,840,000 have been submitted and verified, leaving a substantial balance of Le 507,256,000 unaccounted for. PAC noted this gap remains significant and verifying supporting documents may take additional time.
The Committee also flagged impress funds amounting to Le 7.9 billion, disbursed to District Officers in 2016 for activities including staff training, voter sensitization, and police training during parliamentary and chieftaincy elections, for incomplete retirement.
Out of this, retirements amounting to Le 7,447,039,000 have been confirmed, but Le 520,249,000 remains unresolved. The retirement documents are reportedly stored separately and will be made available for final review.
Further, the PAC noted Le 3 billion reportedly spent on various election-related activities lacked complete retirement documentation. Only Le 2 billion of supporting evidence has been verified, leaving a gap of Le 1,073,000,000 under question.
Responding to these issues, Hon. P.C. Kargobai urged the Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL) to collaborate closely with ECSL’s finance team, granting a grace period of one week to produce all necessary documents for verification.
“Let us give them time, maybe a week, to come up with all the available documents. We are not saying the funds were misused, but verification is key,” said Hon. Kargobai.
He further directed that an auditor be assigned to ECSL immediately to assist with the verification process. “We want to track every expenditure, but we cannot go through all these documents today. The auditor will verify and bring the report back to us.”
The Committee reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and accountability, urging ECSL and other Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to prioritize timely retirement of funds and ensure all relevant documentation is available for auditing. This, the Committee emphasized, is vital to restore public trust in the management of public finances.
