Members of Parliament on Sierra Leone’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have accused the Ministry of Fisheries of negligence, leading to a significant loss of government revenue from fishing vessel license fees.
The criticism came during an oversight hearing on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, where the ministry’s officials were summoned to address issues raised in the Auditor General’s Report for 2021/22.
The PAC, expressing dissatisfaction with the ministry’s performance, announced plans to conduct an oversight visit to the Fisheries Ministry to verify the explanations provided during the hearing.
The ministry faced scrutiny over the collection of fees from 17 fishing companies for the issuance of licenses. In response to questions from the committee, Hawa Ellie, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Fisheries, clarified that the ministry itself does not collect these fees. Instead, she said the fees are paid directly to the Bank of Sierra Leone (BSL) and the National Revenue Authority (NRA), after which the ministry issues licenses based on the receipts provided by these agencies.
The matter remains unresolved, pending the production of all necessary documents and the completion of payments by the defaulting companies.
