Sierra Leone’s auditor-general under pressure for her findings on government corruption

Auditor-general Lara Taylor Pearce faces partisan backlash after her audit reports revealed public sector corruption. The Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL), which she heads, has been linked to a newspaper’s investigations that implicate the president’s inner circle. There are now concerns that Pearce could be replaced. Meanwhile, institutional lapses flagged in her audit reports persist in the absence of substantial reform.

Main Findings - Politically exposed persons

Taylor-Pearce and her 2019 report (published in December 2020) has become a major item of discussion. Amongst other things, Taylor Pearce’s report alleges ‘illegal’ payments involving the first lady Fatima Bio, the chief minister David Francis and the central bank governor Kelfala Kallon.

The matter came to the fore again after Africanist Press (US-based outlet) published stories implicating the president’s inner circle in January and February. Sources within ASSL were suspected to have leaked some of the exposed information to Africanist Press. This suspected connection between ASSL and the newspaper seems to have antagonised the Bio administration toward Taylor-Pearce. Elections are not scheduled until 2023, nevertheless these stories are particularly damaging because President Julius Maada Bio came into power in 2018 accusing his predecessor of corruption and promising to reform the public sector.

In response to the Africanist reporting, pro-government newspapers suggest the audits were conducted without due process, and one editorial urged President Maada Bio to sack Taylor-Pearce.

Although the constitution empowers the auditor-general to independently audit all public accounts, and protects this official from being unilaterally removed by the president, other similarly protected institutional heads have been removed or have abruptly resigned in the past. For example, the chief justice resigned in 2018 after Bio took charge, and Bio later sacked the central bank governor and the head of the anti-corruption commission without following the constitutional process.

Outlook - A familiar baseline scenario

Taylor-Pearce is significantly supported by civil society and is widely viewed as a nonpartisan, independent figure. This popular backing together with constitutional checks should deter her removal. However, precedent suggests that she could well be replaced with a pliable candidate. We note that Bio’s predecessor Ernest Koroma sacked his vice president in 2015 and the Supreme Court approved the decision.

Thus far, we have seen limited efforts to reform the public sector or strengthen institutions. This means that the lapses flagged in recent audits and the press will persist. For example, the treasury single account created in 2018 by executive order remains prone to arbitrary use and institutions such as the central bank will continue to be vulnerable to abuse. Parliamentary oversight will continue to be weak due to ruling party dominance and the use of patronage, while the anti-corruption commission will often be unwilling to probe cases incriminating government figures.

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Photo credit: Red Morley Hewitt

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