By Alfred Peter Conteh
The Chairman of the Finance Committee in the Sixth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone, Hon. Kekura Vandy, representing the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), has openly accused staff of the National Revenue Authority (NRA) of convincing with business people to defraud the state.
According to Hon. Vandy, some NRA officials are allegedly allowing goods to be smuggled out of the country across border areas, thereby evading tax payments and causing significant revenue losses to the government. He made this disclosure during a committee engagement hearing with NRA that was held at the new conference hall building in Parliament.
Hon. Vandy stated that certain officials are deliberately permitting such illegal activities for their own selfish gains, while the country continues to lose huge sums of money in much needed revenue.
“They are there to generate revenue on behalf of the government, not for themselves. I do not want to believe that they are unaware of goods being smuggled out of the country without their knowledge,” he emphasized.
He further warned that all tax payments must be made directly into designated bank accounts and not to individual NRA staff. He cautioned that anyone who pays money directly to an officer and later finds that it does not reflect in official records will be personally responsible, as the state will not accept liability.
Hon. Vandy also revealed that the committee will soon begin unannounced spot checks on NRA officers, particularly those stationed at customs posts, in a bid to weed out corrupt officials and strengthen revenue generation for the government.
