The High Court of Sierra Leone holden in Freetown and presided over by the Honourable Justice Cosmotina Jarrett has convicted ISSA KAMARA, CHIEF EXAMINER OF THE WEST AFRICAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL (WAEC), and of No. 82 Hanga Road, Jui, Freetown, on five counts: One (1) count of Abuse of Office, contrary to Section 42(1); One (1) count of Abuse of Position, contrary to Section 43; One (1) count of Conspiracy to Commit a Corruption Offence, contrary to Section 128(1); One (1) count of Influencing a Public Officer, contrary to Section 30; and One (1) count of Academic Malpractice, contrary to Section 128(3) of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 12 of 2008 as amended in 2019.
The Honourable Judge sentenced ISSA KAMARA to pay a fine of Thirty Thousand Leones (Le 30,000) for each of the first four counts and Fifty Thousand Leones (Le 50,000) for the last count, totaling One Hundred and Seventy Thousand Leones (Le 170,000); or serve a five-year imprisonment term.
The Court further ordered that the fine be paid immediately, or he remains in detention. The Court also banned him for a period of five (5) years from teaching, acting as Chief Examiner for WAEC, pursuing or practicing any occupation, vocation or profession which will provide him the opportunity to commit an academic malpractice.
ISSA KAMARA’s conviction followed his guilty plea to FIVE (5) COUNTS RELATING TO ACADEMIC MALPRACTICE AND OTHER CORRUPTION OFFENCES, after he improperly used his office to confer an advantage on one Foday Fasuluku Mansaray, a candidate in the May/June 2024 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
He was caught after collecting a specific examination script belonging to his nephew and handing it over to IBRAHIM KAMARA, who answered some of the questions before the script was returned and placed among others for official marking. Trial of the said IBRAHIM KAMARA continues at the High Court.
The Commission wishes to reassure the general public of its unwavering commitment to curbing examination malpractice and other forms of corruption in Sierra Leone.
For further enquiries on this and other ACC matters, please contact ALEX A. BAH, Public Relations Assistant, on +232-78-004714 or via email info@anticorruption.gov.sl.
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ABUBAKARR TURAY
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
