A number of corruption related activities have been allegedly reported at the National Investment Board(NIB) since the assumption of office by Dr. Hinga Sandy.
Whistle blowers who preferred anonymity said in a letter they had recently written to the Anti-Corruption Commission(ACC) that “by virtue of section 77(1) of the ACC Act 0f 2008 as amended in 2019, they wish to report corrupt activities going on in the National Investment Board Secretariat.”
One of the many allegations contained in the said letter hold that the “Deputy Executive Director Ms Mahawa Sandy does not have the qualifications she claims to have.”
“In her CV which we believe is with the Human Resource Department she claims to hold a B.A in Economics from Hofstra University in 2007. However, her name does not appear on the 2007 graduation list of Hofstra University. That includes the list of those who graduated in absentia. See Hofstra University’s 2007 graduation list pages 26 to47www.hofstra.edu/pdf/studentaffairs/commen/commen_program_may07.PDF,” the letter states, noting that the Deputy Executive Director also claims on her CV that she holds a master’s degree from Salford University at Zurich. There is no Salford University at Zurich.”
The letter also nails the Director of Strategic Policy and Planning Mr. Joseph Gbonda who is accused of claiming “on his curriculum vitae that he is a chartered accountant and holds an ACCA Certificate.”
“ACCA is the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Both accounting students and certified accountants can hold ACCA membership. Mr. Joseph Gbonda has failed to produce a certificate to show he indeed passed all the ACCA exams to be called a Chartered Accountant,” the letter adds.
According to the whistle blowers, the activities of the aforementioned contravene section 128(3) of the ACC Act of 2008 as amended in 2019 thereby committing an offence of conferring an advantage on themselves. It also contravenes Section 1 (1) of the Forgery Act of 1913 “Making of false document in order that it may be used as genuine.”
The whistle blowers allege that because of the rampant nature of fake degrees at the NIB, the issue is part of the NIB Annual Report.
“It is reasonable to conclude that Dr. Edward Hinga Sandy has failed to address the issue which action contravenes the Notice of Parliamentary Motion in 2023 that recommends 10 year imprisonment and/or fine for a head of institution who fails to report such fraud. Sometime in October, Dr. Edward Hinga Sandy in connivance with the Deputy Executive Director, Ms Mahawa Sandy, Mr. Joseph Gbonda and Ms Michaella George illegally canceled a legitimate contract signed to implement a UNDP project to do an institutional review. The institutional review was meant to verify the qualifications of staff members. Dr. Sandy informed the staff in a meeting that he canceled it because the institutional review will not favor some senior staff members of the NIB Secretariat,” the letter allegedly reveals.
Until the publication of this piece, efforts to get the side of NIB proved futile.
