Sierra Leone - December 2024

On 20 December, Sierra Leone’s parliament voted to remove from office the country’s Auditor General, Lara Taylor-Pearce and her deputy, Tamba Momoh, completing a process that began in 2021. Taylor-Pearce, who had served as Auditor General since 2011, had a reputation as a highly independent investigator and her office was regarded by many as one of Sierra Leone’s most effective state institutions. In November 2021, however, she and Momoh were suspended by President Bio for ‘professional misconduct’ and a ‘lack of professional performance’ over their audit of an overseas medical trip he took. The charges were confirmed and their dismissal recommended by a judicial tribunal following hearings that were criticised by civil society for a lack of due process and evidence. The tribunal also recommended the establishment of a mechanism for monitoring and disciplining the Auditor-General, a proposal that analysts fear would undermine the office’s constitutionally protected independence. 

Sources: The Sierra Leone Telegraph (1), The Sierra Leone Telegraph (2), Africa Confidential, Analysis of the Report of the Tribunal on the Auditor-General and Deputy Auditor-General, Democracy in Africa.