Calls for Release of Auditor General Investigation Report Intensify
By: Christian Conteh
The public demand for the release of the report by the tribunal set up to investigate Lara Taylor- Pierce suspended auditor general is growing louder as the days go by. A judge-led tribunal, established three years ago to investigate Sierra Leone’s Auditor General Lara Taylor-Pearce and her deputy Tamba Momoh, has finally submitted its report to President Bio.
This tribunal was formed following a damning report on corruption involving high-ranking officials, including President Bio himself.
Taylor-Pearce and Momoh were suspended in November 2021 on allegations of professional misconduct and breach of confidentiality. The Office of the Auditor General, during its corruption investigation, contacted a hotel in Lebanon where the president had stayed to verify the authenticity of a receipt submitted for audit. This action led to their suspension.
Upon receiving the report last week, President Bio stated: “I have, today, received the report by the judicial tribunal led by Retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Nyawo Matturi Jones. The tribunal was set up to investigate the Auditor General and Deputy Auditor General. Despite speculations, the work of this independent tribunal has been unfettered, transparent, and fully compliant with due process and the rule of law. The rule of law is supreme, and the report and its recommendations will be reviewed for a logical conclusion.”
The suspension of Taylor-Pearce and Momoh also stemmed from their report exposing corruption in the Office of the First Lady.
In April 2024, the country’s Budget Advocacy Network, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, the 50/50 Advocacy Group, and the Institute for Legal Research and Advocacy Network called for swift judgment following the completion of tribunal investigations in December 2023. Six months later, with the president now in possession of the tribunal report, there has been no public action, causing concern among the international community and the people of Sierra Leone about the president’s commitment to due process, transparency, and good governance.
It is notable that Taylor-Pearce, who produced a revealing Ebola report in 2015, was suspended in 2021 for another revealing audit report about corruption in President Bio’s office. While the tribunal report has yet to be made public, sources indicate it recommends Parliament vote for Taylor-Pearce’s removal.
Civil society organizations, including the Campaign for Good Governance, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, the Budget Advocacy Network, the Network Movement for Justice and Development, the Institute for Legal Research and Advocacy Network, and the 50/50 Group, have this week urged President Bio to urgently act on the report.