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A majority of Sierra Leoneans say the Commissions of Inquiry are effective, Afrobarometer study shows

30 Sep 2020 Sierra Leone
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A majority of Sierra Leoneans say the Commissions of Inquiry are effective in addressing corruption in the country, a new Afrobarometer survey shows. 

By a 4-to-1 margin, citizens also say the commissions are impartial and do not favour one party or group over another. Only about one in 10 citizens hold negative views of the commissions’ impartiality and effectiveness, though about one-third say they don’t know enough about the commissions to offer an opinion.

Although perceptions of increasing corruption are less common than in 2015, approval of the government’s performance in fighting corruption has declined significantly. The survey also shows that a large majority of Sierra Leoneans want the media to constantly investigate and report on government mistakes and corruption. However, citizens are increasingly concerned about the risk of retaliation when they report corruption.

After coming to power on an anti-corruption platform, President Julius Maada Bio created three Commissions of Inquiry in January 2019 to investigate acts of corruption and mismanagement under his predecessor. In the just-ended year-long investigation, the commissions identified accused persons and called for confiscation of assets and refund of allegedly stolen monies.