The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Sierra Leone has commenced an investigation into alleged holders of fake degrees in the country. The commission once said action is "not material," hence, "not in the interest of the fight against corruption."
The ACC confirmed in a press release dated June 14, 2022, that they had concluded an investigation into how the Senior Commissioner of Domestic Tax Department, National Revenue Authority (NRA), Ibrahim Sorie Kamara, obtained a fake Honorary degree in Taxation in 2019, jointly awarded by the London Graduate School and the Commonwealth University Business, Arts, and Technology, an unaccredited institution.
Accusations of how certain people in public offices bought fake degrees to secure jobs and promotions in Sierra Leone were revealed by Dr. Idris John Lahia, a Sierra Leonean based in Australia, in 2021.
The whistleblower informed the ACC Commissioner about how people in positions of trust in the police, Parliament, sitting Ministers, university lecturers, bankers, and engineers, among others, allegedly purchased fake degrees from unaccredited institutions all over the world to secure jobs and promotions in the country.
Failure on the path of the ACC to institute an investigation initially led to a serialized publication of names of Sierra Leoneans believed to have bought fake Masters and Ph.D. degrees, including the current Inspector General of Police, Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Minister of Agriculture, the Clerk of Parliament, the Leader of Government Business in Parliament, Lecturers of Fourah Bay College (FBC), and College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS), managing Director of Rokel Commercial Bank, among other public offices, by Dr. Idris John Lahai, on his Facebook page.
The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) in Sierra Leone, on April 8th, 2022, in a press release, confirmed that the African Graduate University (AGU) is not accredited and not a recognized university in the country.
This statement prompts the Sierra Leone Parliament on April 21st, 2022, to adopt a private member’s motion brought forward by the Honourable Paul Saa Sam, of the Coalition for Change (C4C) party, urging his colleagues to investigate fake academic qualifications of civil and public servants in the country.
The decision was based on Standing Order 25 and Section 93(4) of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.
The Anti-Corruption Commission on April 19th, 2022, in a press release, after realizing the significant and growing public interest in the issue, called on all public-sector institutions to immediately conduct academic credentials verification/audit. The Commission said their decision was based on "public discussions relating to the issuance of certificates (Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate Degrees) by mainly the Dominion Christian University (DCU), and the African Graduate University (AGU)."
Dr. Idris John Lahai has published the names of over 30 civil and public servants alleged to have bought fake degrees from an unaccredited university in the world.
This forced the government, through the Tertiary Education Commission and the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE), to embark on a nationwide verification exercise on the credentials and qualifications of public officers in Sierra Leone.
It was against that backdrop that the Anti-Corruption Commission, in a press release dated June 14, 2022, said it has concluded an investigation into the credentials and qualifications of the Senior Commissioner, Domestic Tax Department, at the National Revenue Authority (NRA), Ibrahim Sorie Kamara.
The ACC investigation says the honorary degree in taxation that was jointly awarded by the London Graduate School and the Commonwealth University Business, Arts and Technology, to Ibrahim Sorie Kamara, was faked based on the fact that "both institutions are unaccredited and therefore not competent to award PhDs,"
Despite this confirmation, the Commission went on, "the element of an ‘advantage’ being conferred on him within the meaning of the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008 as amended in 2019, has not been met, and therefore the ACC has closed the investigation."
The ACC said it has advised the Senior Commissioner, Domestic Tax Department, at the National Revenue Authority (NRA), Ibrahim Sorie Kamara, "not to use the questionable Ph.D." for any advantage in the public service.
Records on the names of individuals believed to have secured fake degrees from an unaccredited institution, published by Dr. Idris John Lahai, include Politically Exposed Persons, senior civil servants, bankers, lawyers, and engineers, among others.
Though the public appreciates ACC’s conclusion of investigation on only one person in two months, it is expected that more names will come up followed by strong government actions despite the pace that was set by the chancellor of the Ernest Bai Koroma University, COMAHS, FBC, National Telecommunication Company, Statistics Sierra Leone, and other institutions in terminating services of persons believed to hold fake university degrees.
However, the ACC informed us that they are "investigating other individuals and institutions whose staff are alleged to have ‘fake degrees' or 'certificates’ and have used the same to confer an advantage on themselves."
It assures that they will continue to update the public accordingly as those investigations conclude.
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