Clerk’s wife repays over Le100 Million to ACC
By Iris Aminata Bangura
The Anti-Corruption Commission has initiated an investigation into corruption allegations surrounding Hon. Paran Umarr Tarawally, the clerk of parliament, and his wife, Mrs. Abibatu Tarawally.
The commission is probing accusations that the clerk of parliament irregularly employed his wife without following due process. Further, concerns have been raised regarding Mrs. Abibatu Tarawally not fulfilling her duties despite receiving a salary. This has prompted questions regarding potential conflicts of interest and abuse of position by the clerk of parliament.
During the ongoing investigation, Mrs. Abibatu Tarawally, as a condition of her bail, has repaid the sum of One Hundred and Thirty Thousand (new) leones (131,000) out of the One Hundred and Fifty-Six Thousand (new) leones (le 156,000) she received as salary for the 10 months she was on the payroll, according to records obtained from the Accountant General.
Sylvanus Blake, the Public Relations Officer at the Anti-Corruption Commission, stated that their inquiries have unveiled potential breaches of anti-corruption laws, with a particular focus on abuse of office as a trigger offense related to the abuse of position.
Contrary to social media claims about Mrs. Abibatu Tarawally’s salary, Blake clarified during an interview on the Epic Morning Show that evidence indicates she was paid approximately 7,000 new leones per month, not the speculated 30,000 new leones. He further revealed that she had worked for a period of 1 year and 7 months based on recovered evidence.
Blake emphasized that Mrs. Tarawally was terminated from her position after being found culpable of improper conduct, noting instances where her salary was not received, and her pin code was unavailable.
“We did not receive pay advice for Mrs. Tarawally from January to March 2023, but we have pay advice for the entirety of 2022, four months in 2021 from September to December,” Blake disclosed.
The Anti-Corruption Commission, in its commitment to accountability, has introduced a new model called the MDA’s Performance Score Card. This model aims to monitor and ensure compliance with recommendations, providing an overview at the end of the year of MDAs that implemented recommended best practices and those that did not.
