Hon. Alhaji Musa Tarawally, former Minister of Lands in the erstwhile All Peoples Congress (APC) government of Ex-President Ernest Bai Koroma, has told newsmen in Freetown that he will appeal the ruling of the Justice Biobele Commission of Inquiry (COI).
Hon. Alhaji Tarawally was responding to questions around a report in the Government White Paper which found him wanting in his stewardship at the Ministry of Lands and ordered him and to refund the sum of Le235,000,000 (Two Hundred and Thirty-Five Million Leones),
alongside Mr. Barba Fortune, current Secretary to the Vice President. The report alleged that the pair misappropriated proceeds from leases paid to the state at the Ministry, and that receipts for payments did not reflect actual payments made to the Ministry of Lands. Hon. Tarawally told Peak Newspaper that the finding was in error on several grounds. He said the Internal Auditor’s report from which the allegations emanate was for the 2016/2017 audit period, at a time he said he had long left the Ministry. Mr. Tarawally noted that he had only served the Ministry of Lands from 2013 to 2015, and that the audit reports during his tenure had no such allegations against his person. “All monies paid for leases were paid directly to the National Revenue Authority (NRA) officials stationed in the Ministry during my tenure”, Hon. Tarawally Said. “There was no point at which I or any of my officials accepted such payments, to the best of my knowledge”, he continued.
The former Minister of Lands also claimed that he never worked with his alleged co-conspirator, Mr. Barba Fortune at the Ministry of Lands. He said during his time at the Ministry, he served with Mrs. Nancy Tengbeh as the Permanent Secretary and Dr. Farmer as his Professional Head. Hon. Tarawally told this press that both persons were given an all-clear by the COI, which to him is a clear indication that he has nothing to answer. “Both Mrs. Tengbeh who was my Permanent Secretary and Dr. Farmer who was my Professional Head were called before the COI but they were not found wanting of any crime, I will only wonder why they will pair me up with another person who did not work with me at all at that Ministry”, he said.
Asked if he suspected “witch hunt” as has been alleged by others, the former APC Minister said “I don’t believe in that witch hunt theory, but I suspect something went wrong somewhere, that is why I am going to appeal and have my day in court”. “This is a country of laws, and I believe anyone who feels aggrieved by the charges in the White Paper
should appeal…in fact we have that option available to us, and I am going to take advantage of it”, Hon.Tarawally further noted.
Asked what he thinks about the protestations of his former colleagues in the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC), he simply said “I don’t know what they are protesting for, but in any case I am no longer a member of that party and don’t have any information on their plans. All I know is that the rule of law exists in this country and I will advise every Sierra Leonean to work within that parameter”, he concluded.
