By: Aiah P. M. Sourie, Ag. Head of Unit, ACC
Pay close attention to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)’s latest Asset Declaration (AD) regime. By and large, AD is an accountability tool applied in keeping with the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which is a legally binding international anti-corruption instrument. The treaty mandates its 192 state parties to develop asset declaration frameworks to strengthen transparency and accountability in public offices. Sierra Leone complies with this provision as evident in Section 119 of its Anti-Corruption Act of 2008 (Amended 2019). In as simple a manner as possible, this essay unpacks steps on how public officials can successfully declare their assets with the ACC.
Over the years, the Commission has evolved its AD tool – from the arduous paperwork to the easy digital form – making it a lot more user-friendly to up compliance and prevent conflicts of interest in the operations of government institutions. Let’s now zoom in on what public officials need to know to declare their assets with some useful questions.
WHO IS QUALIFIED FOR ASSET DECLARATION?
Obviously, not every public official is eligible to declare his or her assets, income, and liabilities with the ACC. Public officials at grade 7 and above are required by law to so instead. However, public officials who are below grade 7 but have financial responsibilities are also required to declare their assets. Similarly, within the school system, only heads of schools and their bursars must follow this statutory requirement. Note that ‘public official’ also refers to persons working as contract staff, those in elective positions (Members of Parliament, Mayors/Chairmen, Councillors of local councils, etc.) and presidential appointees (Ministers, Ambassadors, Heads of government institutions, etc.).
WHEN TO DECLARE ASSETS?
According to Section 119 of the amended ACA, within three months of taking a public office, a public official should declare his or her assets. This should be repeated every two years while the official is in active service, but not later than 31 March of the second year. The official is also required to do same on leaving office – on resignation or retirement.
THE PROCESS PROPER
2026 is a year of AD and the ACC has worked very hard in partnership with the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation to make the process accessible and easy to use. With internet connectivity, you can go through the following steps to declare your assets without difficulty:
STEP 1
Use your laptop, desktop, tablet, or smart phone and have the ACC Website address handy: https://assets.anticorruption.gov.sl or www.anticorruption.gov.sl . This is your passport. Using any available browser, make sure you correctly enter the address in the search bar. The ACC portal will then easily initialise showing the ASSET REGISTRATION page.
STEP 2
Now is registration time. This is a must for declarants accessing the new Asset Declaration platform for the very first time. Click on ‘REGISTRATION’. And enter your mobile phone number after code +232. You’re also required to enter a 4-digit passcode. You can create your passcode from your birth year (for example, 1995) or from any other source you can easily remember. Once you’ve created your passcode, you login. Ensure that you’ve properly completed the registration fields, and then click on ‘CONTINUE’.
STEP 3
Now, log in to the main Asset Declaration Platform showing WELCOME TO THE ANTI-CORRUPTION….This page shows you guidelines on completing the asset declaration form. Then click on ‘SEE MORE’ which opens up the TERMS AND CONDITIONS of declaration.
STEP 4
You’re making progress. Now, click on ‘PROCEED TO DECLARATION’. This will take you to the ‘HOME MENU tab showing the following items: DECLARATION PROCESS, DECLARATION DEADLINE, LAST LOGIN, DECLARATION, OVERVIEW, AND QUICK ACTION.
STEP 5
You can then click on ‘DECLARE’ in the top right-hand bar or ‘DECLARE’ as the second item on the far left, or click on ‘GO TO DECLARATION’. Note that the declaration section contains the following items: REASON FOR DECLARATION, PERSONAL INFO, FAMILY INFO, EMPLOYMENT, ASSETS, LIABILITIES, REVIEW, AND SUBMIT.
It is also important to state that once you have filled in the REASON FOR DECLARATION page, you should click on SAVE AND CONTINUE. As long as you’ve saved your information, you can choose to continue with the process safely later. Unsaved items can go missing.
STEP 6
This step has to do with the PERSONAL INFO tab which requires your BIO INFO, ID and CONTACT. Provide the appropriate information for each items and click on save.
STEP 7
You’re required to supply information on your family. Click on FAMILY IN TAB or on NEXT BUTTON at the bottom of the page. In case you have more family members, click on ADD FAMILY and give the additional details and don’t forget to save your information.
The next field labels include EMPLOYMENT, ASSETS, and LIABILITIES. EMPLOYMENT requires information on your current and past employments in or/and out of Sierra Leone as the case may be. ASSETS field calls for information on your movable and immovable assets, cash, digital money, security, house, car , farm etc. Also click on LIABILITIES and provide information on loans, child support, credit card, mortgage etc.
STEP 8
At this stage, input the name of the place from which you’re declaring your asset when you click on PLACE OF DECLARATION. Once you’ve fully and correctly completed the asset declaration form, you can review the required information for each field and then submit your declaration by clicking the REVIEW AND SUBMIT tab.
The ACC asset declaration regime has remarkably transitioned from its initial cumbersome manual state to the current user-friendly online state in order to increase compliance. The Commission is ready to support staff of public institutions across the country declare their assets, income and liabilities against the 20 July 2026 deadline. Otherwise, officials who fail or refuse to comply with this legal provision are liable to face serious administrative penalties as provided for in Section 122A (1) of the ACA.
