PARLIAMENT IS CORRUPT!
By: Christian Conteh
Hon. Chernor Abass Bundu and Hon Paran Umar Tarawally
In a bold move back in October 2020, two dynamic Members of Parliament, Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh and Hon. Hindolo Moiwo Ngevao, raised their voices against pervasive corruption within Sierra Leone’s Legislative House, Parliament. Their courageous revelations, however, sparked discontent among parliamentary leaders, including Hon. Chernor Abass Bundu and Hon Paran Umar Tarawally, the Speaker and Clerk of Parliament, respectively.
Expressing his unwavering stance, Hon. Ngevao, in an exclusive 2020 interview with Ticha Lemp Lemp, asserted,
“The charge levied against me is that I expressed my opinion on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that Parliament is corrupt. To that, I have no regrets… I stand by my statement.”
Similarly, Hon. Tawa emphasized, “In the fight to restore accountability, uphold transparency, and tackle corruption, someone has to pay the ultimate price.”
Fast forward to 2024, fresh corruption allegations have surfaced, implicating both the Speaker and Clerk of Parliament. While the accusations against the Speaker remain unconfirmed, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has announced an investigation into the Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Paran Umar Tarawally and his wife. The allegations suggest that Mrs. Abibatu Tarawally was employed without due process, receiving a regular salary without reporting for work.
In a press statement, the ACC revealed that Mrs. Tarawally returned a portion of her salary, Le 131,000 (new leones) from the 156,000 (new leones) she received as salary for 10 months, acknowledging a breach of protocol. However, some Sierra Leoneans express concerns about the perceived leniency of the ACC, particularly when compared to its robust response to corruption cases involving members of the main opposition, the All Peoples Congress (APC) Party.
Simultaneously, the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) has launched a cleanup process, starting with a headcount and addressing issues of mass redundancy attributed to the Clerk. The embattled Speaker, Mr. Bundu, took to social media to vehemently deny the allegations against him. He characterized the accusations as false, diversionary and a public relations tactic aimed at shifting attention from the alleged employment scandal rocking Parliament.
As the nation awaits the outcome of the investigations, these developments underscore the ongoing challenges in addressing corruption within Sierra Leone’s highest legislative body.
