By Lamin BanguraThe Senior Director of Finance and Budget at Sierra Leone’s National Revenue Authority (NRA), Ibrahim Joseph Kormoh, has been suspended without pay over alleged violations of the institution’s training policy, the authority said.
In an interdiction letter dated Oct. 8, 2025, Commissioner General Jeneba Bangura directed Kormoh to hand over all NRA property, including his official vehicle, and to refrain from conducting official duties during the suspension.
According to reports, Kormoh had been selected to attend a three-week senior executive management course at Harvard Kennedy School in the United States — a programme reportedly funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at no cost to the NRA.
Kormoh allegedly sought a recommendation letter from the Commissioner General, who declined to endorse the application. He later obtained clearance from NRA Board Chairman Kabineh Kallon, who confirmed to the Global Times newspaper that he had authorized a request for approval on Kormoh’s behalf.
In a letter seen by Global Times, Kallon instructed the Acting Commissioner General to issue the recommendation letter “as requested by Mr. Kormoh.” However, the Commissioner General later interdicted Kormoh for what she described as “disregard for the Authority’s training policy and procedures.”
Bangura told Global Times that she did not overturn the Board Chairman’s decision but acted after Kormoh bypassed her office.
“All I did was to query Mr. Kormoh, asking why he went above my office to the Board,” she said. “He applied for the program without my approval, which violates our training policy. I interdicted him because he refused to appear when the disciplinary committee invited him.”
In response, Kormoh denied any wrongdoing in a letter dated Sept. 25, 2025, saying he had followed due process.
“I engaged you for the recommendation letter in line with the training policy. You advised I seek Board approval. I did so, and the Acting Commissioner wrote the letter under the Board’s instruction,” he wrote.
The NRA has not announced when its internal investigation will conclude.
By Lamin Bangura
