An investigation on the Mano River Union Secretariat’s over $18,000 assessment mission budget to Guinea, will be published on Friday 12th November 2021.
The Sierra Leone Consortium of Investigative Journalists (SL-CIJ) funded project, THE ORGANIZATIONAL BUDGET SCHEME, by five (5) investigative journalists in the Mano River Union (MRU) member countries (Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, and Ivory Coast), will be published on Friday 12th November 2021.
The project was coordinated by Sierra Leaks Media Network in Sierra Leone, aiming at exposing wrong doing of some organizations, who allocates and approved budgets for events, but in the end, failed to implement and account for the complete allocated money. The investigation seeks to minimize harm by identifying wrongs thereby calling on governments in the MRU member countries, to protect taxpayers’ money.
THE ORGANIZATIONAL BUDGET SCHEME investigation took the five journalists almost two years, to uncover a scheme on how the Mano River Union Secretariat in Sierra Leone, allocated $18,680 United States dollars for an assessment mission to Guinea, in 2000. The assessment mission did not happen, but the Secretariat returned only Le.65,340,000 or $6,600 United State dollars, according to the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development.
According to documents seen by the investigation team, including leaked bank transactions, MRU was to send a 16-man delegation on an Elections Assessment mission to Guinean capital Conakry, for five days, 1st – 5th October 2020.
THE ORGANIZATIONAL BUDGET SCHEME investigation revealed how the assessment mission to Guinea never happened, but out of a total of $18,680 United States dollars, that was withdrawn from two bank accounts (foreign $ and Leones) at the Rokel Commercial Bank, using three cheques.
The investigation on THE ORGANIZATIONAL BUDGET SCHEME will reveal details of what happens to the remaining $12,080 United States dollars, the explanations, the players behind the scheme, the 16-man delegation, and their connection.
The Sierra Leaks Media Network investigation will present part one of its findings on the issue on Friday 12th November 2021.
Media houses that want to publish the full investigation, are kindly requested to contact the publisher of Sierra Leaks Media Network for further discussions with the consortium, not later than Wednesday 17th November 2021.
Comments