The former Director General of the National Social Security Trust (NASSIT) and current Financial Secretary of the Government of Sierra Leone Edmond Koroma along with three others have been ordered to pay back two billion leones in respect of the purchase of the two controversial NASSIT ferries.
Mr Koroma along with Gibril Saccoh, Ibrahim Bah and Mahmoud Idriss were named in a press release issued by the Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday.
The release states that the Commission has now reached a decision on its investigations, in respect of the NASSIT Ferries (Bai Bureh and Masimera) Case File.
The ACC stated in the release that in line with its “mandate to take all necessary steps to prevent, eradicate or suppress corruption, the Commission hereby directs that the former Director General Edmond Koroma, the Deputy Director General Gibril Saccoh, the former Director of Finance Ibrahim Bah and the former Director of Investment Mamoud Idris should together pay the sum total of Le2, 000,000,000 (Two billion Leones).
Each of the said persons is to pay the sum of Le500, 000,000 (Five hundred million Leones).
It is not clear whether the Financial Secretary Edmond Koroma and the current Dept. Director of NASSIT Gibril Saccoh will resign their positions as it is viewed that if they accept to repay the said amount then they can be viewed as guilty of the act of corruption.
It could be recalled that about two years ago NASSIT ordered the procurement of two ferries for commercial use to ease sea transportation constraints between Lungi and Freetown, however the two procured ferries turned out to be unseaworthy ferries and had to be sent to Senegal for repairs.
According to reports the two ferries were procured with three million Euros which is the equivalent of Le16.5billion (sixteen Billion Five Hundred Million)
By Saidu Bah
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