The Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Human Rights yesterday ordered authorities at the Human Rights Commission Sierra Leone (HRC-SL) to refund the sum of seven million, three hundred forty-four thousand Leones) as part of monies the Audit Service report of 2011 said they could not account for.

The report states that the Commission made payments without supporting documents in excess of Le3 million, plus withholding taxes amounting to over Le2 million, which was not deducted from payments to suppliers of goods and services to the Commission during 2010. The report further claims that the Commission had no internal audit unitat the time.

Hon. Eric Koedoyoma, deputy chairman of the Committee, ordered that Director of Finance at the Commission, Ebun Thorpe, should pay the withholding taxes to the National Revenue Authority before next Tuesday, when he is expected to reappear at the hearing. The MPs threatened to recommend the dismissal of Mr. Thorpe if the said money was not paid to the revenue watchdog before Tuesday.

The chair of the Committee, Hon. Hassan Sheriff, also re-echoed his deputy's sentiments with further threats of inviting the Anti-Corruption Commission to institute criminal action against the official should he fail to comply.

In his response, Mr. Thorpe promised to avail documents to the Committee to help them further verify the findings of the Audit Service. He also promised to pay the withholding taxes to the NRA before next week.