By: Dolly A. Issa, Communications Officer, ACC
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has joined other Anti-Graft Agencies at the 14th Commonwealth Regional Conference and Annual General Meeting for Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa. The four-day Conference which was held from the 12th–16th May, 2024 at the Kempinski Hotel, Gold Coast City, Accra , Ghana, was organized by the Association of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa (AAACoA).
The Conference forms a critical part of the Association's objective to initiate a platform to foster collaboration between and among members and stakeholders, in a bid to share worthwhile experiences, ideas and best practices to ensure worthy partnership.
Spiced with presentations by Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies on their strategies and innovative techniques, the Head of ACC, Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala Esq., gave an insightful presentation on the Non-Prosecution Policy of the Commission. He stated that the Policy is a set of guidelines to aid prosecutors in deciding whether a matter should be charged to court or not. This he asserted is often done with the Prosecutors taking into account the culpability or guilt of the suspect(s) and the harm caused by his/their alleged corrupt conducts bearing in mind the nature of the offence, to determine whether prosecution is the most appropriate response, coupled with the willingness of the suspect(s) to accept responsibility and cooperate with the Commission.
He continued that the Policy also provides several alternatives to Criminal Prosecution with Civil Penalties as provided for in Sections 87 and 133 of the Anti-Corruption Act No.12 of 2008, as amended in 2019; Restitution for misappropriation offences; Forfeiture and Confiscation of Assets; Cooperation agreements; non-prosecution agreements; Deferral agreements etc.
The Commissioner underscored that Criminal prosecution is not always the best course of action. “The enactment of these legal frameworks has generally enhanced the fight against corruption by making it possible for the Commission to hit the Corrupt where it hurts most- their pockets without a court order. It fosters public trust and confidence; it reduces delays associated with prosecutions and has also enforced the integrity, effectiveness, and expediency of the work of the Commission in the fight against corruption”, he averred.
The ACC Boss further highlighted the challenges in court recovery, hence adding that this policy grants power to the Commissioner to either institute proceedings in a court or enter into an agreement with a suspect. These Innovative Initiatives have made whopping recoveries up to the tune of over 45 Million (New) Leones approximately3.5 Million US Dollars in 6 six years, he added.
He also disclosed that this has helped change the narrative and positioned Sierra Leone in a constant upsurge in every local and international indexes and assessments. He furthered that, the 2023 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, saw the country move from 130 in 2018, to 22 places upwards-108 in 2023 with a Score of 34, above the sub-Saharan average also noting that, the country has passed the MCC Score Card with over 70% in 2018 through to 2023 consecutively.
Notable presentations against corruption were made at conference by other Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in the Commonwealth Africa on topics such as; Asset Recovery and Mechanisms; Civil Litigation; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Unexplained Wealth; Emerging Trends on Corruption and Economic Crimes; Civil Society’s Role in the Fight against Corruption and more.
The Conference ended with a Reading and Discussion of the Communique by Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in the Commonwealth Region and Elections that saw members voted for, to serve in several distinguished capacities, with the ACC Commissioner, Francis Ben Kaifala Esq., emerging with a resounding victory, as the Sub-Regional Representative of the AAACoA.
