Le4 Billion Chopped At Freetown City Council
…Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala Reveals
By Mohamed Jawara
The Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Francis Ben Kaifala on Thursday 6th March, 2025 revealed to the media that the sum of Four Billion old Leones is unaccounted for at the Freetown City Council’s (FCC) Account.
According to Commissioner Kaifala, certain individuals within the Freetown City Council allegedly diverted Council’s funds into the Account of the Freetown City Council Football Club (FCC FC).
“The FCC had open a separate account for the football club to manage its operations, which was initially overseen by Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr. However, in 2022, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr withdrew her signature from the club's account, leaving three individuals in charge,” he said.
During the investigation, it was found out that when payments were made to the Freetown City Council, some officials diverted the cheques into the Football Club’s Account instead of the Council’s Account.
Commissioner Kaifala clarified that Mayor Aki-Sawyerr is not a party to the misappropriation and has expressed full cooperation with the ACC’s investigation.
The FCC first noticed financial irregularities when transactions failed to reflect in the Council’s Account.
With this development, the Commission intervened and discovered that the Council’s revenue was being siphoned.
"We found that FCC’s revenue was under attack. Certain individuals were sharing money among themselves, misdirecting payments from billboard fees and other transactions," he stated.
The investigations also revealed collusion with bankers from financial institutions where these accounts were held, including the Commercial Bank and Mortgage Bank.
