Thank you Madam Chair for the opportunity provided to me, representing Sierra Leone to update this august Assembly on the status of the implementation of the Chapters IV and V, of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) which deal with International Cooperation and Asset Recovery respectively.
To start with Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, Sierra Leone remains firmly committed to ensuring that the true spirits of the Convention are fully and comprehensively implemented and operationalized. Before now, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes had been provided updates on Sierra Leone’s progress in relation to the implementation of various Chapters in the UNCAC, as had been demanded by the Implementation Review Group.
Cognizant of the fact that the thematic focus of this meeting is on implementation of Chapters IV and V of the UNCAC by State Parties, I will inform this body authoritatively that Sierra Leone has domesticated these provisions and are contained in Part VII of the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 amended in 2019 with specific references to Sections 103 to 118 and Subsection 1 of Section 89 of the 2019 Amendment Act.
Remarkably also Madam Chair, Sierra Leone continues to collaborate and cooperate with sister countries and anti-corruption agencies in Africa. Relating to countries commitments and performances relating to the implementation of the UNCAC the First Cycle Review, 2010-2015, Chapters III & IV, Sierra Leone was peer-reviewed by Benin and Thailand and served as a Reviewer for Tanzania. For the Second Review Cycle 2015-2024, Chapters II & V, Sierra Leone was peer reviewed by Togo and Luxembourg and served as Reviewer for Italy and Cameroon .
Crucial to note is that, Sierra Leone in April 2025 joined other African countries in Nairobi, Kenya, to the signing and official launch of the African Asset Recovery Practitioners (AARP) Forum Charter. According to the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption (AUABC), the Charter is a “strategic platform supporting the Common African Position on Asset Recovery (CAPAR) execution under the Africa Against Corruption campaign”. The Charter signed is a guide for anti-corruption agencies and practitioners in Africa to combat corruption. The signing aligned with key provisions of CAPAR, particularly Pillar 2 on Recovery and Return of Assets, which focuses on enhancing legal and financial systems to facilitate asset recovery and restitution, and Pillar 3 on Asset Management, which emphasizes robust legal frameworks, transparency, and international cooperation in managing recovered assets.
Sierra Leone is also part of the West Africa Police information System (WAPIS), a program implemeted by INTERPOL to enhance information exchange and coordination among law enforcement agencies in West Africa. It also aims to improve crime identification, support investigations and facilitate police, anti-corruption and judicial cooperation.
Sierra Leone through its Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) strengthened alliances with international partners, including the US and UK Treasuries, World Bank, GIABA, OCWAR-M, and SecFIN Africa.
Noteworthy too, and on the interantional front, Sierra Leone successfully hosted the GIABA Plenary in November 2024, a recognition of Sierra Leone’s growing leadership and impact in the regional Anti-Money Laundering, Countering the Financing of Terrorism, and Countering Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/PF) community. With the hosting of the GIABA Plenary and the development of a stakeholder-driven national AML/CFT/PF Strategy, the country is not only addressing immediate risks but also laying a sustainable foundation for the future. These advances reinforce the commitment to safeguarding our financial system and, by extension, the global financial system.
As a landmark milestone, Sierra Leone in July 2025, became a full member of the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), giving Sierra Leone access to a global platform for secure intelligence exchange with over 170 countries. Sierra Leone’s progress in AML/CFT/PF over the last two years has been transformative, marked by modern laws, stronger intelligence, operational impact, global partnerships, and public protection.
Significantly also, Sierra Leone had through exchange visits and peer learning provided support to countries such as, Banjul, The Gambia-on the Grievance Redress Mechanism component of the Social Protection Scheme, the People’s Republic of Uganda-on Assets Declaration Regime, the Republic of Cameroon on the Non-conviction asset-based recovery model. Through cooperation with the Government of the Republic of The Gambia, INTERPOL arrested and repatriated to Sierra Leone, a corruption fugitive Elizabeth King.
In order to mitigate the challenge/difficulty that engenders extradition of persons who flee to other jurisdictions, that the ACC-SL in 2019 took the decisive step to amend its 2008 legislation and made specific provision for trial IN ABSENTIA of corruption indictees. Understandably, this in itself, does not address this gap entirely, what it does is to mitigate it. What is critical therefore, is for countries to take radical and decisive steps to cooperate with colleagues for the repatriation of corrupt offenders to stand trial in their countries and face justice of whatever kind and pay for their wrong doings.
In addition, Sierra Leone has an active and progressive Memorarandum of Understanding with the Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), and quite recently, in July 2025 played host to the LACC for the purposes of peer learning, capacity building, knowledge acquisition and expertise exchange to toughen the fight against corruption in the West African sub-region.
Important also to state is that, Sierra Leone continues to cooperate and thereby make active representations at the Network of Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA), the Association of African Anti-Corruption Authorities (AAACA), and the Association of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa (AAACoA) with the view of consolidating the unified commitment to jointly supporting eachother in the fight through cooperation, sharing information relating to the investigations and prosecutions of corruption criminals in the sub-region and the entire Africa.
On the broader level, there has been relatively good international cooperation. However, it has not been very productive and without the expected results derived. This is the bedrock the UNODC would require to do more. Key is that, anti-corruption crimes take place and persons flee to other jurisdictions to escape justice.
As a submission Madam Chair, I propose that UNODC henceforth work with countries whose local laws are prohibitive in the return of persons who are to stand trial for corruption in the requesting countries to make amendments to such laws and provide for these persons to be repatriated and face trial.
Regarding, Chapter V of the UNCAC implementation which speaks to Asset Rocovery; Sierra Leone has performed tremendously well. As highlighted inter alia, the amendment makes provision for assets recovery as an alternative to prosecution. In fact, the Commission with the support of the UK Pro Bono Network has developed and operationalized the Non-Prosecution Policy, which guides and informs the decision to Recover Assets or Prosecute.
In its transformative strides, the Commission, since 2018 has recovered stolen assets. The assets include, Houses in Kono and Freetown, Two Prado Landcruiser vehicles, Laptops, Hard end gadgets, Motor bikes and CASH of over 75 Million Leones, approximately $USD 3.2 Million United States Dollars. Critical too, is that certain Recoveries have been made, but the Resources/ Stolen wealth returned to the victim-institutions, notably, the Freetown City Council, The University of Sierra Leone and the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority.
Sierra Leone in 2024 to date, through its assets recovery strategy has recovered to the State a whooping sum of Forty Million, One Hundred and Eighty-eight Thousand, Four Hundred and Sixty-two Leones (NLe40,188,462), approximately $ USD1.7 Million United States Dollars. Noteworthy too is, in November 2024, the ACC entered into Settlement Agreement and recovered in one instance, Thirty Four Million, Eight Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand, One Hundred and Seventy-Six Leones, Eighty-Seven cents (NLe 34,825,176.87), approximately $USD1.5 United States Dollars.
Sierra Leone has carefully and diligently balanced the scales of prosecution with recovery in regard the fight, understanding fully that enforcement (conviction/courts) too is also a fundamental measure to combating corruption.
Cognizant of these gains Sierra Leone has recorded in the aspects of Asset Recovery and International Cooperation, it must be stated that there are existing visible threats. Corrupt individuals endeavour to conceal their ill-gotten wealth in overseas countries in order to escape justice. Therefore, I want to emphasized unequivacally in this meeting that concrete efforts ought to be made by State Parties not only to help uncover, but return to countries of origin these stolen Assets that have been looted and kept off-shore.
Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentleman, corruption remains the tall order in our different societies, irrespective of the shapes or forms it manifests itself. We must be deliberate to unite against it, collaborate and cooperate to ensure that the World becomes a safe place where corruption is controlled and the corrupt exposed, reinforcing that our countries no longer serve as safe havens for their loot and pillage but rather a burning furnace, immersed in fear, disaster and damnation.
Thank you once again Madam chair and all for your kind attention.
