Sierra Leone's President Ernest Koroma signed-off legislation
Tuesday to fight corruption in the west African nation, then fulfilled
his obligations by handing over a declaration of his assets.
"I
hope the exercise would not only bring people to justice, but also
serve as a deterrent to would-be corrupt officials," said Koroma in an
interview on state television.
Koroma is the first leader of
Sierra Leone -- which is recovering from a decade-long civil war that
ended in 2001 -- to lay bare his personal wealth, although he affirmed:
"I don't have a huge asset base."
"My assets include the
properties I own, the interests I have in companies in shareholdings,
vehicles, and a few other items," he said after presenting his
declaration to anti-corruption commissioner Abdul Tejan-Cole.
The
presidential signing of the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 comes 16 days
before the first anniversary of Koroma taking office after he won a
democratic run-off vote in September 2007.
Tejan-Cole said: "The
Act will bring the country's laws in line with our international
commitment, as Sierra Leone has ratified the UN convention against
corruption and will soon ratify the African Union convention on
combating and preventing corruption."
Under the law, he said, it
will be mandatory for all public officials to declare their assets --
including, for the first time, the head of state and other top-level
political figures.
"The Act enables us to enter into an
international cooperation agreement, and makes provision for the
extradition of those who are corrupt -- not only Sierra Leoneans who
are corrupt in Sierra Leone and who go abroad, but also foreign
nationals who come into Sierra Leone having committed corrupt acts in
other countries," Tejan-Cole added.
The new law also gives the
Anti-Corruption Commission extensive powers in the fight against graft,
and enables the use of "whistleblowers" to draw attention to corrupt
acts.
An estimated 120,000 people were killed and thousands had
their limbs hacked off by rebel fighters trying to overthrow the
government during the country's brutal civil war.
Sierra Leone's President Ernest Koroma signed-off legislation
Tuesday to fight corruption in the west African nation, then fulfilled
his obligations by handing over a declaration of his assets.
