By Joseph Momoh, Reporter, Daily Scope
September 5, 2025
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has placed Sierra Leone in the global spotlight, demonstrating its leadership in combating corruption, recovering stolen assets, and fostering international cooperation. This recognition came during a compelling presentation by Deputy Commissioner Augustine Foday Ngobie at the Second Resumed Sixteenth Session of the Implementation Review Group (IRG) Meeting on the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), held in Vienna, Austria, from September 1 to 5, 2025.
Speaking to an international audience, Ngobie reaffirmed Sierra Leone’s commitment to implementing Chapters IV (International Cooperation) and V (Asset Recovery) of the UNCAC. He highlighted the country’s significant reforms, robust legal frameworks, and unprecedented successes in asset recovery.
Ngobie noted that Sierra Leone has fully integrated the UNCAC into its legal system through the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008, amended in 2019, which provides a comprehensive foundation for asset tracing, recovery, and cross-border cooperation.
In a landmark development, he announced that Sierra Leone signed the African Asset Recovery Practitioners (AARP) Forum Charter in Nairobi, Kenya, in April 2025. This milestone aligns the country with the Common African Position on Asset Recovery (CAPAR) and enhances its capacity to trace, seize, and return stolen wealth.
Furthermore, Ngobie revealed Sierra Leone’s recent admission as a full member of the prestigious Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units in July 2025. This membership provides the nation with secure access to intelligence-sharing platforms across more than 170 jurisdictions, significantly strengthening its international cooperation credentials.
On the topic of asset recovery, Ngobie reported that since 2018, the ACC has successfully recovered and returned over NLe 75 million (approximately USD 3.2 million) in cash, property, vehicles, laptops, and other valuable assets. Notably, between 2024 and September 2025, an additional NLe 40.1 million (USD 1.7 million) was recovered, positioning Sierra Leone as one of Africa’s leading nations in asset recovery.
Ngobie also shared that Sierra Leone recently secured the arrest and repatriation of a high-profile corruption fugitive, Elizabeth King, from The Gambia, achieved through collaboration with INTERPOL.
In a significant development on the sidelines of the Vienna meeting, Sierra Leone is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Prosecutor-General’s Office of the Russian Federation. This agreement aims to enhance cross-border collaboration on asset recovery, intelligence exchange, and prosecution support.
“Corruption knows no borders. We must collaborate to ensure that stolen wealth is recovered and returned, and that the corrupt find no refuge anywhere in the world,” Ngobie stated, emphasizing the need for stronger global alliances.
Sierra Leone’s active participation at this high-level UNCAC meeting underscores its rising profile in the global anti-corruption arena and highlights the ACC’s visionary leadership, establishing the country as a formidable force in the fight against corruption.
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