6. Duplication of payment in respect of United Nations general assembly meetings

The following were observed:

That MOFED paid twice for accommodation and other incidental allowances in respect of the United Nations General Assembly Meetings in New York-once to the Office of the Secretary to the President and again to the Sierra Leone Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

During the Financial year 2008, the Office of the Secretary to the President received US$57,161 for the 63^rd UN General Assembly Meeting; for the same period an amount of US$43,800 was also remitted to the Mission for the same purpose.

In the 2009 Financial Year, the MOFED paid US$46,691.00 in respect of the 64^th UN General Assembly Meeting and remitted US$36,596 to the Sierra Leone Permanent Mission for the same purpose.

During the 2010 Financial Year, the Office of the Secretary to the President received US$54,267 to cover accommodation, incidental and imprest in respect of the 65^th UN General Assembly meeting and for the same period an amount of US$49,915 was remitted to the Mission.

Of utmost concern to the auditor was the unavailability of the relevant supporting documents and schedules to cover those payments. We therefore recommended that the Financial Secretary should explain, with substantial evidence, why duplicate payments were made in respect of the UN General Assembly Meetings; in the absence of which the amounts involved should be refunded by the officers concerned.

Another example of corruption everywhere under the smoke and mirrors President.

The Financial Secretary who has been recommended to take action on the matter is the same man who was found wanting by the Anti Corruption Commission, fined five hundred million leones over those ferries and is now the country's Financial Secretary making a mockery of accountability and justice in Sierra Leone.

President Koroma is the best man in a position to tell the nation if those fines have been paid.