Strengthened Implementation of Anti-Corruption Measures and Compliance (SL0034)

Brief Description of the commitment

Corruption in Sierra Leone is a pervasive issue that undermines the very foundation of society. It erodes public trust, hampers economic growth, perpetuates inequalities, and remains a reputational risk. To combat this scourge, effective corruption control measures are essential to promote transparency, encourage ethical behavior, and ensure the efficient functioning of institutions. Key elements include a robust legal framework, rigorous enforcement, the institutionalization of best practices and international standards, and effective collaboration and coordination among different institutions in the fight against corruption, which is significant. However, amidst the gains made, this commitment aims to strengthen domestic implementation of corruption control measures in all Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and Local Councils in Sierra Leone, sustain the gains made in the Commission asset disclosure regime, and maintain the preventive approach in the fight against corruption.

Problem definition

What problem does the commitment aim to address? This commitment seeks to address the following: 1. The current legal framework (laws and regulations in the AC Act 2008, as amended in 2019) clearly defines corruption and its associated penalties. Some of the amendments therein are comprehensive to cover both the public and private sectors. The commission intends to increase non-conviction asset-based recovery during the period under review. ACC is considering changing tactics to strengthen its non-conviction asset-based recovery and to work on preventing rather than prosecuting corrupt offenses. In addition, this commitment also seeks to prevent corruption. 2. Asset Disclosure: Another critical element to the Asset Disclosure regime is Section 122A of the Anti-Corruption Act (ACA) 2008 as amended in 2019 (ref) with specificity to sub-section (5)(a)(b) and (c), which deals with administrative sanctions relating to withholding of salary, suspension, and dismissal of public officers respectively has led to an increased on the rate of Compliance for asset disclosure with the data for 2022 declaration year showing a compliance rate of 96% as compared to previous declaration years which recorded low rates of Compliance and it was primarily paper-based. We want to see increased declarants from 96 – 100%. This commitment seeks to see an increase in the number of people who declare their assets yearly with the Commission. 3. Establish Independent Media Commission (IMC) in MDAs: The work of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy Secretariat (NACS) also ensured the establishment of an Integrity Management Committee in 82 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and local councils. Essentially, the performance of local councils increased from 89% to 99%, having implemented 242 out of 245 action points, while MDAs increased their performance from 82% to 91%, having implemented 529 action points from a total of 587. This commitment seeks to establish IMCs in MDAs that were left out in the 2019 -2023 NACS in the public sector.

What are the causes of the problem? The leading causes of corruption include the late transfer of budgetary allocation, challenges in the recruitment processes, non-compliance to anti-corruption and audit recommendations, cultural deterrents, management of natural resources, foreign direct investment, foreign trade, and aid. There is no timeline for the Public and Accounts Committee in Parliament to deliberate and produce a report after the submission of audit reports to Parliament, no proper record management system, and a weak internal audit control mechanism.

Commitment Description

1. What has been done so far to solve the problem? There is tremendous public concern over corruption, thus increasing public interest in the fight against corruption. It permeates every sector of Sierra Leone's public life, compromising citizens' access to essential services and institutions. The Anti-Corruption Commission developed the Compliance and Sanction Enforcement Management Manual. This guides the monitoring process and ensures Compliance with MDA; however, this document is now due for review. In the past six years, there has been marked and unprecedented improvement in the fight against corruption. In 2019, the AC Act of 2008 was strengthened, making it one of the most authoritarian anti-corruption acts on the continent. In this amendment, Asset declaration laws were toughened, fines and prison terms increased, non-conviction asset-based recovery was clearly expressed as enshrined in the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC). The commission has recovered over 50 billion old leones (|$2,000,000) due to non-conviction-based asset recovery. The Judiciary has established a special Anti-Corruption Court to help address the snailed-paced nature of ACC matters. The prevention intervention and systems Reviews conducted in various MDAs have reduced the chance of institutional corruption. The ACC developed a compliance and sanction enforcement management manual that has regularly guided its quarterly monitoring process. The Integrity Management Committee established across 82 institutions in Sierra Leone is responsible for successfully implementing the 2019 -2023 National Anti-Corruption Strategy.

What solution are you proposing?  Strengthening internal audits in MDAs  Strengthen Compliance on auditor general’s recommendations  Monitor whether institutions are complying with ACC and audit service recommendations, identify gaps and proffer recommendations,  Strengthen IMCs (Integrity Management Committees)  Enhancing Systems and Processes review

What results do we want to achieve by implementing this commitment? When fully implemented, this commitment will prevent the occurrence of corruption. It will further enhance internal audit controls and institute standard operating procedures to gauge and enhance the implementation rate of audit report recommendations.

Commitment Planning (Milestones | Expected Outputs | Expected Completion Date)

Establish more Integrity Management Committees (IMC)in Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and Local Councils with agreed- upon actions. | 40% increase in the number of Institutions that have IMC

Review of a Corruption Prevention Manual | Reviewed a Corruption Prevention Manual | August 2025

Increase monitoring and Compliance by Integrity Management Committees in Ministries Department and Agencies/ Local Councils by NACS/Systems and Prevention Unit | # of Monitoring Reports | August 2026

Enhancing Systems and Processes review of MDAs (specific to the big five game changers) | # of MDAs received # of recommendations proffered # of recommendations implemented | August 2027