Freetown — Anti corruption commission, ACC is reported to have demanded a refund by both parties, in the long flung and estranged battle of aspersions over the mysterious disappearance of Le17 million, at the Pharmacy Board in Freetown.

The issue generated self exonerating media stunts by the erstwhile registrar of the Board Michael Jack Lansana, under whose watch, according to preliminary findings by a team of investigators, the money apparent disappeared.

The missing 17 million Leones came about during the transition of power from the Sierra Leone Peoples Party to the All Peoples Congress in 2007 and subsequently from the erstwhile registrar of the Board Jack Lansana to the current acting registrar Wiltshire CN Johnson.

Meanwhile, after a final examination of the intricacies into the matter the crime buster ACC holds that Jack Lansana at the time never took any care to ensure that in the first place the money was expended for the purpose for which it was meant.

Indications were that he also never included the whereabouts of the said money nor mentioned it in any documentary record that the said money was in possession of WCN Johnson.

Wiltshire Johnson's culpability on the other hand according to the sanctions of the ACC was that he never ensured that there was hard evidence of the transfers of the money to Jack Lansana and could not be completely exonerated in the absence of such documents and must therefore undertake the requisite equal payment of the money.

Whilst it is clear the grounds on which the ACC has given equal culpability to both people, one silent truth has surfaced: despite the unrelenting strides of the Jack Lansana to demonize the image of the current Acting Registrar in the eyes of the public and continue to influence the outcome of the case, the ACC has been able to tactfully read between the lines and give a verdict.

The reason why Wiltshire Johnson has been asked to pay, as in the words of the ACC, was that he never ensured that the transfer of the money he collected for the conduct of the workshop was documented; however, Jack Lansana's culpability was said to have hinged on three consummate facts: that one he never as chief administrator of the Board ensured that the money was ever appropriated for its intended purpose; never made any move to document the whereabouts of the said money and did not make any remark about it when he was handing the office over to the current administrator. The acting registrar eventually learnt about the non-existence of the money in the Board's coffer and therefore called the attention of the administrative board.

One of the issues raised was that if Jack Lansana could document, in his handing over note, all assets and liabilities as low as Le 500,000 why not the mammoth Le17 million.

Statements taken by the ACC stated, inter alia, that a witness Ms Messsie Bunduka - the then Accounts Clerk was present at the keeping of the money in Jack Lansana's cabinet, the lock which could only be accessed by the registrar and his confidential secretary.

She attested to the fact that the money was actually placed there for Lansana's attention.

Whilst the public and media would appreciate the ACC's verdict on the matter, if at all it has been has been finally laid to rest, still air would continue to hang over the rationale behind the act.