By Fatima Kpaka
The Deputy Leader of Government Business for the Ruling SLPP in Parliament Hon. Bashiru Silikie has on Wednesday, August 14, 2024 issued strong warning to all shipping lines in the country to stop collecting demurrage charges for a period of ten working days excluding holidays and weekends.
“After today, we will be looking at your finances, manifests and other documents that are against the law. Let it be on record as of today, no shipping line must ask for demurrage for a period not lesser than ten days exclusive of weekends and public holidays” Hon. Bashiru ruled.
He made the statements during the Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Aviation’s engagement with shipping companies.
Hon. Silikie further ordered all shipping lines to present their manifest from January 1st, to July 31st, 2024 including statements to Parliament for further scrutiny on or before Wednesday 21st August 2024 to reconcile illegal monies collected for the past eight months citing section 105 of Act. No. 6 of the 1991 constitution of Sierra Leone.
He further urged them to assemble their finances, bank statements, adding that they will not tolerate any compromises.
The shipping lines includes Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping Company, Grimaldi among others. He added that Parliament only knows and respects individual shipping lines and not associations.
According to the Deputy Leader, shipping lines had been asking for exorbitant amount of money from citizens, adding that some companies collect 20$ per-twenty feet container instead of the normal price of $15 and that they also collect $40 instead of $30 per-forty feet container, adding that others have added about thirty to forty percent (30-40%) above what is expected to be collected from importers.
The Chairman of the Committee on Transport and Avaition Hon. Ambrose Maada Lebbie in his contribution added that a copy of the ruling will be available to the Commissioners General of the National Revenue Authority (NRA) and the office of the president.
Reacting to the ruling of the Deputy Leader of Government Business against shipping lines, Mohamed Andrew Sallia President of the Association of Clearing and Forwarding Agencies Sierra Leone (ACFA-SL) said the action of Parliament was a victory for the country while thanking the Lawmakers for their swift decision and all defaulting companies must ‘repay all what they had illegally collected.