The Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) finds it necessary to respond to recent reports published in the September 6, 2023 edition of the Standard Times Newspaper.
These reports claimed that an Administrative Head of the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank (SLCB) had given testimony in Magistrate Court No. 1 concerning an alleged misappropriation of funds from the SLRA Welfare Account.
The SLRA would like to clarify the following points to address this misinformation: Nature of the Welfare Account: The SLRA indeed maintains a Staff Welfare Account at the SLCB, overseen by a Staff Welfare Committee. This account is solely funded by monthly contributions from SLRA staff for their personal needs, including personal loans, among other purposes. It does not involve public funds in any manner.
Reported Irregular Withdrawals: In contrast to the reported narrative, it was the SLRA that detected unusual withdrawals from its Staff Welfare Account on December 28, 2022. The SLRA promptly notified the SLCB management of these irregularities in a letter dated January 18, 2023 (Day File No: 039).
Timely Resolution: After discussions with SLCB management, the SLCB restored the stolen funds (amounting to SLL 1,000,000.00 New Leones) to the SLRA Staff Welfare Account on February 2, 2023, as confirmed in a Bank Statement covering the period February 1 – 28, 2023. This resolution was considered satisfactory by the SLRA.
False Allegations: The SLRA strongly denies any association with an individual named ISHMAIL SILLAH or any involvement in an ongoing court case related to a missing SLL 1,000,000,000.00.
The SLRA asserts that these misleading reports have the potential to harm the SLRA's well-established reputation and create mistrust within the Staff Welfare Association and Management. The SLRA urges the SLCB to issue an immediate response to this public notice to provide accurate information to the general public. Additionally, the SLRA calls on the SLCB to take full responsibility for its internal control shortcomings.
"We also request the Standard Times Newspaper and other media outlets that have disseminated similar inaccurate information to issue corrections in their subsequent reports. We emphasize the importance of verifying information prior to publication to ensure responsible and accurate journalism," they emphasize.