Minister of Justice Submits Tribunal
Report on Suspended Auditor General Lara Taylor-Pearce to Parliament
The formal process to potentially remove suspended Auditor General Lara Taylor-Pearce has commenced with the submission of the Tribunal Report to Parliament.
Attorney General and Minister
of Justice, Mohamed Lamin Tarawalley, handed over the report to the Clerk of
Parliament, Hon. Paran Tarawally, following directives from President Julius
Maada Bio.
The report, which remains undisclosed to the public, addresses allegations of professional misconduct against Taylor-Pearce and her deputy, Tamba Momoh. Both officials were suspended in 2021 amid an investigation concerning the auditing of alleged fake receipts within the Office of the President.
Despite these accusations,
Taylor-Pearce and Momoh have consistently denied any wrongdoing and assert that
they have not received a copy of the report recommending their dismissal.
While the Clerk of Parliament has confirmed receiving the Tribunal Report, no specific timeline has been provided for when it will be debated and voted on by Members of Parliament.
However, it
is anticipated that the report will be presented in Parliament on Friday,
August 30, 2024, when MPs return from their recess.
The case has garnered significant attention from Civil Society Organizations, including the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), which has repeatedly called for the report's public release. As of now, the government has not made the details of the report available to the public.