The Public Education team of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in the North-West Regional office has on Wednesday 9th September 2020 engaged staff of the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) in Kambia on various issues bothering on corruption and also asked for their support in the fight against bribery.
Welcoming the ACC team, the Acting Head of Station of SLRSA in Kambia, Ibrahim T. Sarto, described the meeting as timely and appropriate particularly because it came at the time he succeeded as the new Head of Station. He expressed firm conviction that the meeting would help guide their conduct and operation, and also build on their existing knowledge on corruption.
The meeting was interactive, and the Regional Manager in his statement informed the Road Safety Corps of the ACC’s presence in the region; with a regional office located in Port Loko City to lead the fight against corruption and to put in place anti-corruption measures to address graft and bribery. He explained related corruption offences and warned road safety personnel in very strong terms to desist from corrupt practices or face the full force of the law. Staff of the authority were also educated on key highlights of the 2019 amendment of the ACC Act.
Manager Sesay emphasized that the amendment of the Anti-Corruption laws has rendered acts of corruption as expensive and risky venture to undertake. He told them to take heed of the law in their interaction with the public, citing a video that went viral on social media showing a personnel of the Road Safety Corp receiving bribe from a rider of a tricycle. He noted that in the line of duty, the SLRSA officers are liable to face public resistance particularly when enforcing the law and enhancing road safety guidelines and precautions.
Public Education Officer Mohamed Thullah encouraged personnel to maintain high ethical standards and to be mindful of the ACC laws, adding that with the presence of the ACC in the region it will no longer be business as usual. He accentuated corrupt issues prevalent in the traffic sector particularly in checkpoints, pointing to a perverse system of extortion from the public.
He highlighted various methods of reporting corrupt practices to the ACC and encouraged them to resist and reject demands of corruption.
A question and answer session and the presentation of IEC materials on corruption formed part of the engagement.
By Hasbin Shaw
16/09/2020. ISSUE NO: 7909