UTBank To Cough Up NLe460M

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Parliament, who chaired the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, has instructed and ordered the Union Trust Bank (UTB) to refund and disburse approximately four hundred and sixty thousand old leones (NLe460,000) to the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) account from now to Friday.
Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh made the order on Wednesday 4th September, 2024, at the New Administrative Building in the House of Parliament,when the committee was probing queries raised into 2021 and 2022 Auditor General’s report.
He further ordered for evidence of payment to make available before the committee be it in any form.
Hon. Tawa Conteh said it is a lesson for both Union Trust Bank (UTB) and Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) to monitor the workers and ensure that they are doing their work.
Without prejudice to the Deputy Speaker’s ruling, the opposition leader 2, Hon. Aaron Aruna Koroma, who is also member of the committee, cited the Public Financial Management Act (PFMA) pointing out the gross neglemce of duty of SLRSA’s head of Account.
Hon. Koroma further cited section 122 of the Public Financial Management Act (PFMA), which talked about the gross negligence of duty, and for SLRSA consider taking an action stipulated by the Act.
According to the Act , a vote controller of a budgetary agency, who grossly fails to discharge his/her duty or responsibility, Commits an offence and should be liable on summary conviction, to not exceed an amount equal to two times, stressing that the government has lost money.
He urged to both institutions to do their jobs they have been paid for.
According to the auditors from Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL), Union Trust Bank (UTB) admitted that the aforesaid amount was deposited into SLRSA’s account, but it disheartening that the bank could not accounted for the said account.
According to representative from Bank, SLRSA’s Mohamed Conteh was depositing monies into the SLRSA account which the bank cannot account for.
According to the committee chairman, Hon. Tawa Conteh Union Trust Bank defense in respective of the money SLRSA was that a staff from SLRSA , Mohamed Conteh was depositing money into the bank on behalf of SLRSA and the bank requested for SLRSA to should produce him to aid the police with the investigation regarding the misappropriation, but SLRSA was interesting in the fact that the bank acknowledged receiving the money, but they can’t account for.
Hon. Tawa Conteh further ordered the Director General of SLRSA to deducted eleven thousand Leones Nle110000 from his salary within two months period.
The Deputy Speaker instructed the Director General of SLRSA to demote him and should be suspended him for two weeks.