FREETOWN (AFP) — 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.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
