The
Standard Times newspaper has consistently been publishing
false reports about the Anti-Corruption Commission staff,
especially in recent times. We would like the public
to know that most of these stories are not properly
cross-checked, leaving us with the suspicion that the
Standard Times Newspaper has mounted a campaign of calumny
and vilification against this institution. We strongly
hold this view because of the following reasons:
1)
On Wednesday
14th July 2004, the Standard Times carried
a story on Page Seven with the headline: “ ACC Abets
Corruption?”. It was reported in that story that Mr
Maurice Williams, the Human Resource Manager, was at
the time of his employment still gainfully employed
as Registrar of the College of Medicine and Allied Health
Sciences (COMAHS). Upon publication of that story the
Public Relations Officer inquired from Mr Jonathan Thomas,
Registrar and Secretary of the University of Sierra
Leone if this was so. Mr Jonathan Thomas told the PRO
that this was not the case. We contacted Mr Augustine
Beecher, who was then the Acting Editor, and asked him
if at all he had asked Mr Williams to give him his own
side of the matter before going to press. Mr Beecher
said he did not do that. He then asked Mr Maurice Williams
to explain the entire situation to him, which he did.
The Standard Times published Mr Williams’ own side of
the story, but without any apology.
2)
On Tuesday
19 October 2004, the Standard Times carried a front-page
story with the headline: “CAUGHT! Le49m Treasury Bond
for the ACC Boss”. In that story, it was reported that
the Commissioner Val Collier took Le49 million from
the Commission’s account and bought himself a treasury
bearer bond. It was also reported that the Commissioner
received furniture from EACON as a kickback on a contract
to supply furniture to the Commission. What happened
is that on Monday 18th October 2004, a reporter
from Standard Times called Elongima Masuba called on
the Public Relations Officer to crosscheck some allegations
against the Commissioner. The Public Relations Officer
showed Mr Masuba a document to verify that the treasury
bearer bond was not bought in the name of the Commissioner.
The PRO also told Mr Masuba that the furniture in Mr
Collier’s house was bought from Décore Furniture Company
at Wilkinson Road, and this could easily be cross checked
from Decore. Incidentally, no mention of this was made
in the Standard Times story. It would appear that the
Standard Times editor had already written his story
before sending his reporter to talk the ACC Public Relations
Officer.
3)
In the
same Tuesday 19th October edition of the
Standard Times, a letter of grievance by ACC staff written
on November 2002 was published, with comments. But the
date of the letter is deliberately left out, making
it appear to the reader that the matter is very recent.
In fact the issues raised in that letter are no longer
valid because DFID has done a restructuring at the ACC
in terms of positions and salaries. This happened in
2003. Yet the editor wants Sierra Leoneans to believe
that the matter is still unresolved in 2004.
4)
Again,
in the Standard Times edition of Wednesday 20th
October 2004, it is reported in the front page that
the ACC Accountant, Mr Simeon Koroma who is now the
substantive Director of Finance e and Administration
has built two houses, insinuating that this could have
only been done through corruption while working for
the ACC.
5)
In that
same edition of Wednesday 20th October 2004,
it is reported that ….” the Commission’s audit reports
of 2000-2002 have been considered by experts as very
fraudulent aimed at deceiving both the general public
and the international community.” The auditors have
never brought this to the notice of the Commission,
as the Standard Times would want his readers to believe.
It is deliberate character assassination to even suggest,
as the Standard Times has done, that Mr Collier manipulates
whatever documents come out of the Commission for the
consumption of the public.
6)
An article
on Page Seven of the Same Standard Times edition of
Wednesday 20th October 2004 written by Phillip
Neville casts aspersions on the character and integrity
of the ACC Commissioner, Val Collier, with no evidence
to support his claims.
7)
It is
also stated that the Acting Head of the Research and
Development Department, Mr Foday Kamara receives Le6
million monthly, which is shared among members of the
Department. This is a deliberate attempt to tarnish
the image of not only Mr Foday Kamara but the entire
Commission, since no such thing will be allowed to happen
in the ACC.
8)
This
same article made several totally untrue statements
about the ACC as well as other members of the public.
In particular reference was made to a Mr Dundas as one
of the Commission’s contractors hired to do all rehabilitation
work on ACC property in Bo and Freetown. This Commission
can categorically confirm that no such Mr Dundas has
had any business transaction or any other official relationship
with the ACC from its inception to date. What we can
confirm is that we know Mr Dundas as the husband of
Mrs Joanna Dundas, Assistant Report Centre Manager,
currently on transfer to our Bo Office as Officer-In-Charge.
9)
The reference
to gifts received by the Commissioner from Messrs Sam-King
and Gebara has caused the Commission considerable embarrassment
in view of the outright falsehood on the one hand, and
the unethical insinuations that can be inferred from
this statement on the other hand.
10)
The Public Relations Officer organized a Press Conference
at the ACC on Thursday 21 st October 2004
to address the issues raised in the Standard Times.
The PRO provided documents to prove that the Commissioner
did not use The Commissions funds to buy himself a treasury
bearer bond, as reported by the Standard Times. But
during question time, Mr Phillip Neville, Executive
Editor of Standard Times caused a serious distraction
by asking if the Commission had the right to purchase
treasury bearer bonds. The PRO replied that this was
not the issue raised in the Standard Times, but that
the Commissioner had used the Commission’s funds to
buy himself a treasury bearer bond, which was the subject
of the Press Conference. Mr Neville also told the PRO
that the Commissioner was to be present at the Press
Conference, since he had other questions to ask him,
and which the PRO could not answer. He then said that
in the absence of the Commissioner, he was going away
since this was not a properly constituted press conference.
This is exactly what he did. In the event, the press
conference was disrupted. This was in spite of the documents
provided by the PRO to disprove the allegations raised
by the Standard Times.
11)
In an editorial of Standard Times on Friday 22 October
2004, the Standard Times called for the Commissioner
to be investigated, bringing in a new element into the
whole scenario by saying that the Commission, since
it is not a business entity, has no right to buy treasury
bearer bonds. The most significant issue we are concerned
with however is that the Commission’s name has been
defamed by reporting that the Commissioner took money
from the Commission’s account and bought himself a treasury
bearer bond.
12
On Page Eight of Standard Times of Monday 25th
October 2004 an article by Phillip Neville among other
things stated that the Commissioner deliberately failed
to appear at a press conference to clear his name in
issues pertaining to ‘his apparent plundering of the
resources of the Commission’. The article also states
that the Public Relations Officer was defending “the
undefendable”.
13
The Anti Corruption Commission has brought its' grievances
about these publications to the attention of the Independent
Media Commission (IMC) of Sierra Leone and the IMC is
already sitting on the matter. This does not however
eliminate the Commission's rights to seek redress in
courts locally and internationally.
14
The Public will be kept informed about this issue as
developments occur.
Emmanuel
Aiah Senessie,
Public Relations Officer
November 2004
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