<strong>SLRSA & Autospect: Corrupt Crew!!</strong>

The Sierra Leone Road Safety (SLRSA) is an institution established by an Act of Parliament to compliment the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) and the responsibility of road safety in the country.

Autospect Sierra Leone was awarded the contract for the provision of vehicle and driver’s licenses, number plates; Tag (TVR) among others seems to be sham deal as the government, Transport and Aviation Ministry and the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA)   has privatized the License Department to Autospect – SL and several staff may be redundant.

This medium gathered that Autospect is given SLRSA 20% and all monetary transactions are done physically not paying to any bank and licenses among other registration pertaining license is over 200% increase  agreement that has been stalled since the 2016 due to bad agreement.

According to sources, Autospect staffs are receiving all monetary transactions at hand as before all transactions should be done through banking and they are making over Le 1 Billion daily as they increase the renewal of vehicle licenses from Le 600,000 old prices to Le 1, 33,000 old Leones for jeep, TVR from Le 250,000 to Le 640, 0000.

This situation had left the SLRSA without fulfilling its mandate and core function of licensing vehicles  

Autospect Sierra Leone is a Lebanese company that was awarded contract by the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authorities (SLRSA) for the printing and renewal of licenses in Sierra Leone.

According to investigation carried out by this medium over hundreds of customers were currently suffering as the company had already collected money from their vehicle number plates, licenses and vehicle fitness examining.

Investigations also revealed that Autospect Sierra Leone had shut down operations for over 5 days without issuing any notice to the public or to their customers.

How can a responsible institutions shut down its operations without no proper explanation to its customers or the general public?

The increment of these fees without noticing the public is tantamount to corruption and corrupt practices by the company. At is stands since Autospect shut down its operations there is no statement from the company to ascertain what may cause the shutdown.

Speaking to the General Manager of Autospect Sierra Leone Mr. MuhieddieItani told this medium that he did not think if there is a problem in his institution.

The Manager added that there is no technical problem but they are fixing a software upgrade which was done since last week Friday.

He also advised Public Review that even though he is the head of Autospect but this medium should also cross check with the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRA) for further clarification.

The high spate of corruption going on at the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) with millions of Leones allegedly finding its way into private pockets is blamed squarely on the shoulders of the SLRSA Executive Director, Rev. Smart K. Senesie.

Our investigations reveal that even though Rev. Senesie would have had an inkling about a corrupt deal that was about to be carried out, he would allegedly feign ignorance or absent himself at the time the corrupt act is about to take place or in the process of taking place.

The aloof and ‘I-don’t-care’ manner Rev. Smart K. Senesie has been putting on since he assumed office is raising many eyebrows. Many people that are following the trend of events at the SLRSA are more than convinced that Rev. Smart K. Senesie knows very well all that is going on as he was first Chairman of the SLRSA Board before he was appointed Executive Director.

The Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) was established by an Act of Parliament to complement the Sierra Leone Police and road safety in the country. Autospect Sierra Leone was awarded the contract for the provision of vehicle and driver’s licenses and number plates as well as the temporary vehicle registration tag.

Among others, it appears that it is a sham deal as the government’s Transport and Aviation Ministry and the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) have privatized the License Department for Autospect – SL. As a result, many staff members may have been made redundant.

The Public Review newspaper has gathered that Autospect is giving the SLRSA a 20% cut from earnings and for all other transactions involving money are done strictly on a cash-in-hand basis.

Autospect does not use the swift system in use in Sierra Leone, it avoids making payments through the banks, which has raised eyebrows, and tongues are wagging about money being laundered the better judgment against of government’s financial policies.

Curiously, though, licenses and other registrations pertaining to payment for obtaining vehicles license has scandalously been raised over 200%.

The arrangement scheduled for a review of this spooky scheme has been stalled. Since 2016, due to a bad agreement reached between the Minister of Transport and Autospect for his aggrandizement, Autospect, a Lebanese outfit with no track record apart from having raised its ugly head in this country, has been giving a 20% hand shake to the SLRSA monthly.

According to sources, Autospect staff are receiving all monetary transactions through cash-in-hand even though all transactions should go through the banking services. Autospect makes a whooping Le 1 Billion daily. It has increased the price for the renewal of vehicle licenses from Le 600,000 old prices to Le 1, 33,000 old Leones for jeep, and TVR from Le 250,000 to Le 640, 0000.

This situation at SLRSA is pathetic. Falling short of fulfilling its mandate and core functions for licensing vehicles, the listless problems began soon after bypassing local bidders with a history of a good reputation in that sort of industry only for Autospect to come in with no background checked at all. Autospect Sierra Leone is a Lebanese company that was awarded that contract by the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authorities (SLRSA) through the back door and after failing the local content policy. “It was directed to print, issue and renew vehicles licenses in Sierra Leone,” an angry vehicle owner echoed.

According to an investigation carried out by the Public Review newspaper, hundreds of customers are unhappy and fed up with the company. Autospect, a backyard company from Lebanon, had already collected monies from unsuspecting customers issue vehicle number plates, licenses, and vehicle fitness examining. To the customers chagrin, they are still waiting hopelessly. 

Investigations also revealed that Autospect Sierra Leone had shut down operations for over 5 days without issuing any notice to the public and its buying customers.It is scandalous.

How could they shut down operations without any proper notice to its customers? The increment of licenses fees without noticing the public is tantamount to corruption and corrupt practices by the company warranting the intervention of the ACC.

As it stands, since Autospect shut down its operations, there is no statement from the company to ascertain what may have given rise to the shutdown.