By Francis Teddy Kanu
The opposition All People’s Congress (APC) is divided over the removal of Lara Taylor-Pearce, the suspended and indicted auditor-general of Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL). The division came following the much-awaited decision of Parliament to decide the fate of the former ASSL boss who was recently investigated and found guilty by a Tribunal constituted by highly skilled and reputable legal experts.
Due to the glaring adverse findings against Lara, the constitutionally constituted Tribunal recommended her removal from office. According to the country’s constitution [Constitution of Sierra Leone Act No. 6 of 1991], Parliament is to make a determination on such a matter. The matter is now before Parliament.
Contrary to a recent press statement said to be the position of the opposition APC on the matter, this reporter has been reliably informed that a good number of APC parliamentarians are opposed to the statement, which they perceived to be exonerating Lara even when Parliament is yet to decide on the matter.
“We are just waiting for the day we are going to vote on the issue. Myself and many other opposition lawmakers are of the informed opinion that the Tribunal was thorough, fair, and professional throughout the process. Colleagues of Lara testified against her openly. We all saw and heard it. Lara has some positives, but the adverse findings against her cannot be questioned. They are evident and fact-based. Many of us may vote for her removal. We are still observing,” a senior opposition parliamentarian told this reporter.
A staunch APC activist said, even when he is strongly opposed to the governing SLPP-led government, he is in support of the removal of Lara, saying what she is facing now was evident during the APC era but that his party was not attentive enough to pick it up.
“Lara did many unprofessional things during the APC regime. She made some people look like saints and demonized others. Audit reports should not be leaked before they are laid in Parliament, but such an ideal was not respected by Lara. I can use many things against the SLPP government, but not this Lara issue. She has displayed unthinkable heights of unprofessionalism and must be asked out. Had I been a lawmaker, I would vote for her removal,” he explained.
As it stands, the APC is sharply divided into two, those against the removal of Lara and the majority who are in favour of her removal.
On the defensive mechanism of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sierra Leone schemed to emotionally vindicate Lara, a good number of opposition stalwarts have called it “unprofessional and unpatriotic,” saying the entity must be roped to Parliament for contempt.
What has made matters worse for Lara is that most APC politicians have openly declared that they would never forgive her for exposing the corrupt practices of their leaders that made most of them face the last Commission of Inquiry set up by the present SLPP government.
It could be recalled that, following widespread reports of professional misconduct by Mrs. Taylor-Pearce and her deputy, Mr. Tamba Momoh, about two years ago, a constitutionally constituted tribunal was set up by the President Julius Maada Bio government to investigate the reported misconducts. After months of investigations and fair hearings, the Tribunal, constituted by high-profile and reputable legal experts, found the two guilty as accused and recommended their dismissal from Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL).
