11. Deputy Commissioner, ACC, Augustine Foday Ngobie, delivering a Public Lecture at the Horton Academy, Leicester Square, Freetown, on “Fighting Corruption in Sierra Leone”. ACC‟s Mohamed Sylvanus Blake (left) and Quinton David (right) in a customised meeting with the staff and CA of Kailahun District Council, Bintu Vangahun (centre) on internal control measures. Manager, ACC‟s North - West Region, Al - Hassan Sesay (centre) hands over IEC materials to the Kambia District Agriculture Officer, Saidu Bamayange, after a customised Meeting. The ACC Southern Region Office engages religious leaders in Bo to foster partnership in the fight against corruption. ACC officers in Kono pose with officers of the Motema Police Division after a customized meetin g . Staff of ACC North - East Region and chiefdom administrative staff in Tonkolili after an interactive meeting. „Meet the School‟ campaign at the Government Model (Left) and St Edwards Secondary Schools in Freetown. Director of Public Education and Outreach, Patrick Sandi, updating the Media on the 81% „Control of Corruption‟ Score in the MCC Scorecard at the Ministry of Information‟s Weekly Press briefing. Page 11

12. Published by the Anti - Corruption Commission Headquarters: 3, Gloucester Street, Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa Website: http//www@anticorruption.gov.sl Bo Office Address: 10 Bo Pujehun Drive, Kebbie Town Email: info@anticorruption.gov.sl Makeni Office Address: Mena Hill Reservation, Makeni Kenema Office Address: Reservation Road, Off Maxwell Khobe Street Kono Office: 37 Masingbi Road, Koidu City, Kono Port Loko : 27 Conteh Street, Port Loko Hotline Nos: 077 - 985985 , 077 986 986 , 515 (All Networks)

1. Issue 12 Volume 35 November, 2020 S ierra Leone has taken another remarkable leap in the Millennium Challenge Corporation‟s (MCC) Control of Corruption scorecard from last year‟s 79 percent to 81 percent this year. This is the third consecutive year the country has passed the „Control of Corruption‟ Indicator; moving from 49 percent fail in 2017 to 71 percent in 2018, then to 79 percent in the 2019 Scorecard, and now further increased to 81 percent in 2020. This means that the country has made a total of 32 percent upwards between 2017 and 2020. According to a press release from the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC): “In this year‟s Scorecard, Sierra Leone made more gains in the „Control of Corruption‟ indicator than many other countries including Nigeria, which scored Zero, Ghana 75 percent; Mali 71 percent; Ivo- ry Coast 46 percent; Liberia 56 percent; Cameroon 38 percent; and Mozambique 63 percent; Egypt 29%; Malawi 65; Zambia 75 percent, etc. Therefore, by this year‟s report, Sierra Leone is among the top ten performers in our income category; one of the best performers in Africa; and number one in the Mano River Union.” The 2020 MCC Report shows that Sierra Leone passed 13 of the 20 indicators, including the mandatory “Control of Corruption” indicator. This makes the country „Compact Eligible”, meaning Sierra Leone is eligible to benefit from the US Government Compact Fund of between US$400M and US$600M. According to a news release from State House, the US Ambassador to Sierra Leone HE Maria Brewer formally presented the country‟s scorecard to HE, President Dr Julius Maada Bio, at a ceremony at State House . President Dr. Julius Maada Bio formally receiving the MCC Scorecard from US Ambassador Maria Brewer ACC Commissioner, Francis Ben Kaifala Esq . Contd on pg10

9. T he Southern Regional office of the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) has confronted public officers deployed at the Sierra Leone - Liberia border town of Jendema, to address allegations of corruption received through the Commission‟s Intelligence Unit. The offices targeted include; the Sierra Leone Police, Immigration Department, the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), National Minerals Agency (NMA) and the National Revenue Authority (NRA). The engagement took place on 9 th October 2020 at the Mano River Division of the Sierra Leone Police in Jendema, Pujehun District. ACC‟s Regional Manager South, Musa Jawara, said, the allegations are serious as they hinge on the credibility of public institutions mandated to generate income and regulate public policies at the border. Mr. Jawara highlighted a range of allegations from receiving bribes, facilitating smuggling, to the issuance of yellow cards at high cost without official receipts. He specifically mentioned the allegation of Three Thousand United States Dollars ($3,000) extorted from some Chinese nationals by officers working at the NMA some months ago. Mr. Jawara singled out individuals and institutions, who reports of abuse of office, conspiracy and misappropriation, were made against. He said that the allegations spanned a period of three years, adding that the pattern seems to be a norm and therefore called on all to treat the allegations with utmost seriousness. Resident Prosecutor of the ACC South and East, Abubakarr Sannoh Esq., explained some of the key provisions of the Anti - Corruption Act 2008 as Amended in 2019 by highlighting the offences and their corresponding penalties. Responding to the allegations of corruption at the border, Major Bangura of the RSLAF said, the en- gagement was necessary to remind all public offic- ACC staff in Bo pose with a Cross Section of Public Officers after the Meeting ers of their primary duties and responsibil- i t i e s . H e s a i d t h e a l l e g a t i o n s m a y b e t r u e but stressed that the only reason for their presence at the border now is to enforce the Covid - 19 regulations which can some- times be misinterpreted as corruption. Superintendent Joseph W. Saffa, Local Unit Commander of the Mano River Division of the Sierra Leone Police said that there is no need to defend or accept the allegations as the engagement is an opportunity to put them on their guard. Public Health Superintendent, Nathaniel Thomas Turay, said the allegations of selling yellow cards were true but noted that all staff involved in such acts have been transferred from the border after extorting monies from two tourists who entered the country last year. Senior Compliance Officer of the NMA Fatmata Jalloh said that, the allegation of USD$3,000 extorted as bribe from some Chinese nationals was being investigated by her institution. . Other persons and institutions mentioned in the allegations also made responses and pledged to support the Commission in the fight against corruption. Page 9

10. Contd from Pg.1 “ President Bio thanked the American Ambassador and the MCC for what he called a more objective evaluation of what his government was doing, adding that the MCC Scorecard was an aggregation of different independent groups who were watching the government‟s governing systems,” the State House release states. The MCC is an initiative of the Government of the United States of America to provide aid to developing countries to fight widespread poverty through economic growth. The MCC scorecard consists of 20 indicators under three broad categories: “Economic Free- dom,” “Ruling Justly,” and “Investing in Peo- ple.” The “Control of Corruption” Indicator falls under “Ruling Justly” category. Similarly, Sierra Leone has also scored high in other global, regional, and domestic anti - corruption rankings within the past three years. In the Global Corruption Barometer of 2019, Sierra Leone ranked 3 rd out of 35 African Countries surveyed on “Government‟s Effectiveness in the Fight against Corruption.” In the Afro - Barometer of 2018, 54% of Sierra Leoneans agreed that the government is performing “very well” in the fight against corruption. According to the 2020 Afro Barometer Report, corruption prevalence in Sierra Leone declined from 70 percent in 2015 to 40 percent in 2020. Additionally, the 2019 National Corruption Perception Survey, conducted by the Center for Accountability and Rule of Law this year, revealed that 92 percent of the respondents were convinced the fight against corruption in Sierra Leone is on the right course. Similarly, Sierra Leone also moved 10 places upwards in the Transparency International‟s Corruption Perception Index 2019 and scored its highest score to be positioned at 119. The guidelines encompass a number of actions that should be adhered to during implementation of the subsidies. They stip- ulate, among other things, that 30% of the subsidies should be used on access, equi- ty and completion; 50% on ensuring quali- ty, relevance and integrity and 20% on systems strengthening. Let me at this juncture also remind school authorities of these relevant sections of the Anti - Corruption Act 2008 as amended in 2019: Section 37 (1) deals with Misappro- priation of Public Funds, Section 42 is on Abuse of Office, while Section 43 is on Abuse of Position. The corresponding penalties for any of these offences upon conviction is a fine of not less than Fifty Million Leones (Le50,000,000) or imprisonment of not less than five years or suffer both fine and prison term. It is crucial to note that the object of the policy guideline can only be achieved when there is strict adherence to it. Contd from Pg.4 Page 10

3. Page 3 T he Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) and the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), on Friday 13 th November 2020, signed an addendum Memo- randum of Understanding (MoU), to further strengthen the existing relationship between the two institutions. The MoU is also meant to help the ACC provide support to NaCSA in the implementation of the Sierra Leone Community Driven Development Project, (SLCDDP) also known as „GieTrenk‟, supported by the Islamic Development Bank. It could be recalled that the inclusion of the ACC in the World Bank - supported Social Safe- ty Net (SSN) Project has helped to the suc- cessful implementation of the project, some- thing the two institutions want to see replicated in the SLCDD Project. Speaking at the event, the Deputy Commissioner of ACC, Augustine Foday Ngobie, said about a month ago, the two institutions have had discussions around the joint implementation of the SLCDD Project being factored into the already existing MoU between the two Institutions. He said the ACC was satisfied with the contents of the addendum MoU and therefore pledged the Commission‟s unflinching support to the SLCDD project. Like the SSN project, he said, the ACC will ensure that the SLCDD project succeeds in the interest of its beneficiaries. In his statement, the Commissioner of NaCSA, Abu Bockarie Kokofele, started off by thanking the ACC leadership for all the support they have been providing to ensuring transparency and integrity in NaCSA‟s operations, especially the flagship SSN project. He said providing a Grievance Redress Mech- a n i s m ( G R M ) c o m p o n e n t t o m a j o r projects is becoming the vogue to ensure that beneficiaries have an opportunity to partici- pate fully in issues that affect them under the project. He made reference to the GRM component of the SSN project, which the ACC has effectively handled over the years; something, he said has helped to maintain donor confidence. Senior Director, Monitoring and Evaluation NaCSA, Dr Susan Robert said, the relationship between NaCSA and the ACC has spanned or a long time referencing the implementation of the National Anti - Corruption Commission Strategy (NACS), through to the implementation of the SSN Project. Earlier, the SSN/GRM Coordinator at the ACC, Patrick Morovia, who also chaired the short programme, spoke on the massive result the two institutions have achieved form the collaboration in the SSN Project; something he said will be extended to the SLCDD Project. The high point of the ceremony was the signing of the addemdum to the MoU by the Deputy Commissioner of ACC, Augustine Foday Ngobie and the Commissioner of NaCSA , Abu Bockarie Kokofele The Deputy Commissioner ACC, Augustine Foday Ngobie, and NaCSA Commissioner, Abu BockarieKokofele displaying copies of the signed

6. T he Kenema Office of the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) on Wednesday 7 th October, 2020, held sensitization engagements with the Paramount Chiefs and Chiefdom stakeholders of Jahn and Jawei Chiefdoms in Kailahun District. The engagements, which took place at the Court Barry of the Paramount Chiefs, provided an opportunity for the ACC to update them on recent activities of the Commission, admonish and educate them on issues of corruption related to their functions, including the management of community resources like the Diamond Area Development Fund (DADF). Addressing the stakeholders, Public Education Officer ACC, Mohamed Sylvanus Blake said, there has been a sweeping paradigm shift in the fight against corruption in Sierra Leone; something that has seen the ACC take the fight head - on to the corrupt in an unprecedented manner. This has led the ACC to recover over Twenty Two (22) Billion Leones, two stolen vehicles, a storey house and other stolen assets, he said. In the area of cases, he went on, the Commission has secured successful convictions for most of its cases charged to court. All these gains have resulted in massive improvements in international indices like those of 2019 Transparency International, the 2020 Afro - Barometer and the 2019 Millennium Challenge Corporation, Mr. Blake said. He warned that the current leadership of the ACC has made corruption a very high risk and unprofitable venture through the passage of the Anti - Corruption Amendment Act of 2019. In Jahn Chiefdom, which was de - amalgamated in 2018 from Njaluahun Chiefdom, the ACC team paid homage to Par- amount Chief (PC) Foday Musa Nyandebo - Gbogboto. Investigations Officer of ACC Mohamed Alhaji Jah took the audience through some of the provisions of the Anti - Corruption Act 2008 as Amended in 2019. He made references to the offences of bribery, misappropriation of public or donor funds or property, among others, and their corresponding penalties. PC Foday Musa Nyandebo - Gbogboto of Jahn Chiefdom while welcoming the ACC to his chiefdom, pledged his Chiefdom‟s unreserved willingness to join the fight against corruption, which he described as “public enemy number one”. He said, his chiefdom lacks basic essential amenities like secondary schools (junior and senior), health centres, examination centres for NPSE and BECE, among others. PC Mohamed Ngobukla Kallon of Jawei Chiefdom expressed appreciation to the leadership of the Commission for the gains made in the recent past. He registered no surprises over the recoveries and gains of the ACC and encouraged the Commission to continue. He noted that the country‟s recent anti - corruption efforts should be seen as lessons to current and future leaders and public servants to always uphold integrity. Public Education Officer Mohamed S. Blake presenting copies of the latest edition of the AC- C‟s Newsletter - The Eye. Page 6

4. Abdulai Saccoh, Senior Public Education Officer Page 4 I t is close to two decades since Sierra Leone joined progressive nations in the world to subsidize the fees of public primary schools across the country with the object of ensuring greater access to basic education. Similar support was extended to girls at the Junior Secondary School level years later. The policy provides for government and government assisted schools to be recipients of financial assistance from the public purse. Ironically, since these schools started receiving the subsidies, there has been no clear cut policy directives from the supervisory Ministry indicating what activities the school fees subsidies are meant for. As a result, in spite of the remarkable impact of the subsidies to the country‟s educational sector - in terms of increase in pupils roll and provision of direct cash to school authorities - yet there have been many concerns and complaints about the use and management of the subsidies. The most common criticism has been that, in the absence of a regulatory framework to guide the use and management of the subsidies, there has been a floodgate for indiscriminate use of the funds. As a consequence of the alleged irregularities that inundated the fees subsidy programme, the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) promptly responded with appropriate measures deemed proportionate to address the problems associated with them. The Commission‟s System and Processes Review Department (now Preventions Department) in 2012 undertook a monitoring exercise to examine the use of subsi- dies in schools across the country. The exercise helped to shed light on a number of inadequacies such as: no clear cut policy on the use of the subsidies, inconsistency on who should be signatory to the school account, inaccurate schools data used to compute the subsidy and improper way to account for the subsidy by both the schools and councils. Fast - forward, the past two years has seen the country witness a transformational change in the education policy, with the introduction of the Free Quality Education programme. The programme also provides for the payment of subsidies to government and government - assisted schools by the State. In addition, Government also provides free textbooks for core subjects to school pupils; and approved more schools and qualified teachers. This intervention by Government has not only provided the opportunity for more Sierra Leonean children to access education but also relieved parents of some of the financial costs of sending their pupils to school, while at the same time improve on access and quality. This time the Government instituted massive checks and supervision on the use of the resources by way of distinct policy guidelines on what the subsidies should be used for and how school authorities entrusted with these funds should account for them. The Ministry is clearly trying to prevent the ugly past from raising its ugly head. Contd on Pg 10

5. T he Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) uses multi - dimensional strategies to address system weaknesses within public sector institutions to enhance service delivery. In this regard the North - East Region Office of the Commission sensitized the management and staff of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) of Makeni, Makali, Magburaka, and Bumbuna stations on anti - corruption safeguards. The meeting took place at EDSA‟s Office in Makeni on Wednesday 21 st October 2020. ACC‟s Public Education Officer Abdulai Saccoh said the objective of the meeting was to engage the management and staff of EDSA on a constructive discourse to eliminate petty and grand corruption while augmenting the work of the energy sector. “We also want to eradicate fraud in electricity connection, promote best practices in deliver- ing general services to EDSA customers and implore the staff to cultivate ethical values and uphold integrity in the dispense of their duty,” he said. Mr. Saccoh recounted a number of studies which revealed that public sector institutions are in a deplorable state due to the prevalence of the scourge of corruption. He encouraged his audience to put the interest of the nation first and refrain from corrupt practices such as illegal connection, electricity theft, extortion and improper handling of machines and equipment, all of which are punishable by law. The Public Education Officer updated them on the arrest of three staff of EDSA‟s Billing Section by the Elite Scorpion Squad for the alleged misappropriation of over one Billion Leones. He acknowledged the challenges faced by the sector but warned that they should not be used as an excuse to indulge in corrupt practices. In his statement, another Public Education Officer Abdul Karim Bangura said, corruption will continue to thrive as long as citizens remain egocentric. Mr.Bangura asserted that, amongst the reasons why public sector institutions are unproductive is the lack of transparency and accountability in the management of public funds. He called on the EDSA staff to make conscious efforts towards the fight against corruption “because social service will only improve when corruption is tackled”. The EDSA Station Head in Makeni Engineer Unisa Fofanah said that EDSA Management has been making significant strides to improve not only on access but also the distribution of efficient electricity to the public. He assured the Commission of their commitment to build on the gains already achieved and promised to institute anti - corruption safeguards at the workplace. He advised his colleagues to adhere to anti - corruption measures because justice will be served to any defaulter of the law. A question - and - answer session climaxed the meeting. Page 5 ACC and EDSA staff after the sensitisation Meeting

2. Page 2 Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. delivering the public lecture Students of Fourah Bay College listening to the public lecture T he Commissioner of the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. has described courts as “an important instrument of social control to regimes”. The Commissioner was speaking at a scintillating public lecture titled: “Law vs. Politics: Unbundling the Mirage of the Province of the Law in its Eternal Battle for Supremacy over Politics”, which he delivered on Friday 30 th October, 2020 at the Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. The Lecture was organised by the Students‟ Union Government of the College. Mr. Kaifala, who is also a lecturer at the Law Department of the college, started off by giving comparisons on judicial independence or independence of courts in both autocratic and democratic regimes. He eloquently defined Judicial Independence to mean “an independent court that applies laws fairly and justly between litigants before it - at every given time without - external control”. In looking at the paradoxical notion of „Judicial Independence in an autocratic State‟, the ACC Commissioner argued that although some scholars have singled out examples of how some autocratic regimes have been able to ensure their court systems exercise some amount of autonomy, it is often done with the hidden objective of ensuring investor confidence. In the area of judicial independence in democracies, the Commissioner made reference to Martin Shapiro‟s seminal work, “ Courts: A Comparative Judicial Analysis ”, which defines courts as an important instruments of social change in the hands of regimes, and not the typical sense lawyers often take them to be. If the courts fail to conform to the wishes of the regime, they will “face backlash which sometimes leads to the curtailment of their power,” he argued. “This does not mean that courts do not act independently in some instances. Courts can act more impartially in countries where there is less concentration of power in the President or when institutional arrangements do not leave the executive with as much control as exists in Sierra Leone,” the ACC Commissioner maintained. The Director of Public Education and Outreach Patrick Sandi said the public lecture is part of the Commission‟s mandate to educate the public about issues of good governance, which include the fight against corruption, the Rule of Law, among others. In his statement, President of the Fourah Bay College Students‟ Union Augustine Bona said the public lecture is meant to enrich the knowledge of students of the college on intellectual and academic matters and part of learning processes of the university . The lecture was climaxed by a very interactive question - and - answer session.

7. Page 7 T he Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC), on 11 th and 12 th September 2020, trained 27 Social Safety Net Chiefdom Monitors for Kono District in Koidu City. Held in the Kono District Conference Hall, the training aimed at equipping the participants with skills in ensuring that cash transfer to extremely poor household beneficiaries, through the Social Safety Net project, is carried out transparently. Initiated in 2014 and funded by the World - Bank, the Social Safety Net project is implemented by the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) to alleviate poverty in 35,000 households across the country this year. Of this figure Kono District holds 1,183 enrolled beneficiaries, out of which are 954 women and 229 men - targeted from 129 communities in 11 out of 14 chiefdoms in the district. At the end of the two - day program, the Chiefdom Monitors acquired skills in building trust and confidence in all communities designated for the payments. In addition, they were trained to register and report all complaints through the Grievance Redress Mechanism, verify that all grievances have been satisfactorily resolved, and report feedback from the beneficiaries of the project. What underpins the role of the ACC - trained monitors in the SSN project is integrity, Hawanatu O. Kamara the ACC Manager in Kono said. While she emphasized the credibility of the Commission vis - à - vis its role in making sure that beneficiaries of the project get their cash in full, she encouraged them to be transparent and accountable in getting their job done in the targeted localities. The Monitors are under the direct supervision of the ACC District Monitor of the scheme. The Kono District Monitor Patrick Hinga George earlier in his statement implored the trainees to actively take part in the session to achieve its desired objectives. According to Momoh Gbetuwa, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of the project and lead facilitator of the training, the ACC is a people - centred institution in that it religiously prevents, investigates, and prosecutes corruption in the country in the interest of all Sierra Leoneans. „This is why the Commission takes responsibility in the SSN to ensure the interest of the impoverished households is projected.‟ The Commission had been actively involved in the targeting stage of the project, Mr. Gbetuwa confirmed. He added that Statistics Sierra Leone played a pivotal role in determining the most vulnerably poor communities across the country, with Pujehun District topping the list. Aside from ensuring that beneficiaries receive the relieving package during the cash transfer stage of the project, the Commission has a post - payment role to identify and resolve any further complaints about any threat to the beneficiary‟s relief purse . This project will pay Le1,309,000 to each beneficiary twice this year, and the Commission through the Chiefdom Monitors will record and settle all grievances reported by any beneficiary right across the country. „ Chiefdom Monitors for Kono District during the training

8. T he Regional Manager of the Anti - Corruption Commission (ACC) in the North - West Region, Al - Hassan Sesay told the District Health Management Team (DHMT) in Karene that the ACC has an unwa- vering resolve to fight cor- ruption and sanitize the health sector. He made this statement during a sensitization meeting held on the 22nd October 2020 at the DHMT‟s office in Kamakwie Town. The meeting, as part of the Commission‟s public education drive was convened as a result of several complaints and concerns from the general public on corrupt practices within the Peripheral Health Units (PHUs) in the district. Addressing staff of the team, the Regional Manager Al - Hassan Sesay acknowledged the role of health workers to citizens‟ survival and maintaining a North - West Regional Manager of the ACC Al - Hassan Sesay presents IEC materials to the District Health Sister 1, Isatu Bosco Kamara healthy human resource for the development of the state. He pointed out that the customized meeting was to educate and remind the DHMT staff of their roles and key responsibilities. He lamented over the health sector‟s second position in the 2019 Corruption Perception Survey conducted by the Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law and the current state of affairs in the sector which was as a result of the sustained presence of corruption. He noted that if the country gets it wrong in the health sector, it will have debilitating consequences on the survival of citizens and therefore called on health workers to change this negative public perception and to maximize efficient, affordable and accessible service delivery. He pointed out several corruption - related practices in the health sector including but not limited to the prevalence of extortion and levying of illegal charg- es in PHUs, absenteeism, abandonment of post and time theft. He further explained some of the corruption offences including offering, soliciting and accepting advantage, abuse of office, misappropriation of public funds and property, misappropriation of donor fund and property. Making a statement on the role of the DHMT, Public Education Officer, Mohamed Thullah, said senior management was expected to put together a work- a b l e i n t e r n a l c o n t r o l mechanism that will monitoring and supervision of the activities of staff and in - Charges in PHUs to enhance quality delivery of services to the people. Earlier, in her welcome statement on behalf of the District Medical Officer, District Health Sister 1 Isatu Bosco Kamara, thanked the ACC for engaging the DHMT in Karene on corruption and described the move as laudable, and as a way of preventing corruption. District Health Sister 2 Yellia M. Kargbo also expressed similar sentiments and commended the ACC on the significant strides made in the fight against corruption. Various questions, comments and concerns were raised by staff of the DHMT present followed by presentation of IEC materials. Page 8