IN CORRECTING MISLEADING INFORMATION IN THE MEDIA

PEC APOLOGIZES TO MINISTER OF ENERGY.

The Minister of Energy, Ambassador Henry Macauley has given audience to the head of PEC Sierra Leone, Mr. Malador Sowe, his executive and Media friends who streamed into the office of the Minister to tender their apology for the current misinformation being published by certain media houses regarding the six months pilot contract between EDSA and PEC Sierra Leone

The Minister, who was very calm but curious to hear from the guests, quickly invited his Deputy Minister, Ing. Alhaji Hassan Barrie, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Zainab Buya-Kamara and the Counterpart Director General of EDSA, Ing. Alhaji Timbo to be part of the gathering.

The CEO of PEC, Mr. Malador Sowe in a state of remorse said; ‘Mr. Minister we are very sorry for the misleading information and allegations levied against you on the issue’. He went on to   expose the unprofessionalism of some media houses when he said; ‘I did not grant interview that they could not have investigated. They just grasped the opportunity to write things based on what they heard’, he stated. The journalists who were also part of Mr. Malador’s delegation, also tendered their apologies to the Minister for the bad press that he received over the said pilot contract.

Commenting on the issue, the Permanent Secretary (PS), Mrs. Buya- kamara stated that the Ministry of Energy is for everybody and that young Sierra Leoneans like Mr. Malador Sowe and colleagues are highly encouraged under the local content policy but must not misuse the opportunity. In an angry mood, the PS continued that the unguided publications and misinformation from various media houses were just used to smear the Minister’s good image. That kind of practice she said is unprofessional. She reminded the PEC CEO that it was this same Minister who took PEC’s proposal to the Board of Directors of EDSA and made a recommendation for them to help young Sierra Leoneans to invest in the energy sector.

Deputy Minister, Hassan Barrie stated that he was shocked by the behavior of PEC and their media friends who could not even ask for the Ministry’s side of the story. He lamented that young investors must have respect for others especially senior public officials in the country.

In his reaction, the humble Minister said he started building his reputation as far back as the 80s and some people are trying to damage it now. He stated in no uncertain terms that the misinformation given to the media must be corrected by the PEC CEO. He said; “the repairs should be done by the same media houses,” adding that the extent to which the misinformation is corrected, will determine whether the apology was genuine or not.

PEC CEO, Mr. Malador Sowe gave assurance that his media friends will try as hard as possible to clean the image of the Minister. He said; “Mr. Minister, for the fact that you felt disrespected, I will do all I can alongside my media friends who published allegations against you during the past three weeks, to clean up your image. It is a promise that we are going to do retractions by whatever means Mr. Minister’, he ended.

IS PEC A LOCAL COMPANY IN S/L?

ACC SHOULD INVESTIGATE PEC...

AS THEY STILL HAVE QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

By Ranger

It is now crystal clear, that PEC is misleading the public to gather public sympathy to continue it bad and unviable contract with EDSA to wreck the energy sector and the government as a whole.

Let me first and foremost set the record straight on the GST which PEC now claims to have cascading effects on the customers.

Firstly, let me state that GST is a law passed by parliament, so how can PEC meters affect it. This is not only consider as a public incitement but also a ploy to prevent the public to comply to GST law.

Secondly, it is also evident that EDSA has lost huge sum of money with PEC, because the lost customers activity due to it inability to charge, poor customer service etc and besides EDSA could not know what was being consumed apart from what PEC told them.

This is where the real fraud was taking place that needs ACC investigation. In a nutshell, it seems PEC is trying to get EDSA to do something illegal, by operating a contract that has expired which is pure dishonesty.       
                                     
Let me also hasten to inform the general public that, the meters that PEC illegally removed were also installed by an indigenous Sierra Leonean company that has successfully installed over 20,000 meters. This shows that EDSA does encourage Local content, but does not condone dishonesty and compromise national progress for the sake of selfish private interests.    
                                            
Following the failure of PEC to answer to the questions asked by the general public in relation to its contractual agreement with EDSA that has tendency to rip off the country of it much needed revenue, the general public is now calling on the Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate PEC on it numerous queries raised.

Below are the following questions PEC continues to dodge that need the attention of the President as the country is certainly be on a time bomb if PEC Contract is renewed without adequately answering to these questions;

The public still demand answers to these following questions:

1. Is it true that EDSA does not have accessed to PEC’s system for monitoring and supervision purposes, and could this be one of the reasons why EDSA decided to terminate its contract with PEC?.

2. Is it true that PEC Smart meters are not compatible with the ones installed by EDSA?

3. Is it true that in installing their Smart meters, PEC removed EDSA meters that were already installed without noticing EDSA and without EDSA’s permission, thereby constituting an offence to remove government property? PEC could favour us with the written permission for EDSA to this effect.

4. Is it true that the PEC contract was limited to only the six months pilot project?

5. Is it true that PEC was collecting a whopping 10 percent commission from the bills it collected, while others were collecting 3%?

6. Is it true that EDSA had no access to the transactions done by PEC? If so, is it not a violation of the disclosure agreement reached by PEC with EDSA?

7. Is it true that costumers were complaining that, they were paying and not getting service on time?

8. Is it true that PEC on its own selected areas to install their Smart meters?

9.  Is it true that after the contract expired in June 2016, the meters installed by PEC became the property of EDSA?

10. Most importantly, did PEC receive authorization from EDSA to install their meters? If so, can they produce original documents from EDSA?

These and yet more questions are of great interest to the general public and deserve answers.

As a result of that the are now calling on the ACC to frog match PEC officials to the commission to answer to these following questions and also investigate why PEC being a local contractor which has benefited from the Local Content Policy is collecting 10% commission of it total sales, while past foreign contractors were collecting 3% of their total sales.

This exorbitant commission collected by PEC, they said has some elements of corruption and kick backs, and therefore needs immediate investigation as they had betrayed the Local Content Policy and portrays bad image about the government.

It will interest the general public to know that the much trumpeted 2 billion Leones collected by PEC, PEC has benefited a whopping 200 million Leones from the said amount which constitute 10%.

Consequently, one would want to wonder why PEC is still behaving like a nuisance?

See next edition

PEC IN HOT WATER!

ACC SHOULD INVESTIGATE PEC...

AS THEY STILL HAVE QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

By Ranger

It is now crystal clear, that PEC is misleading the public to gather public sympathy to continue it bad and unviable contract with EDSA to wreck the energy sector and the government as a whole.

Let me first and foremost set the record straight on the GST which PEC now claims to have cascading effects on the customers.

Firstly, let me state that GST is a law passed by parliament, so how can PEC meters affect it. This is not only consider as a public incitement but also a ploy to prevent the public to comply to GST law.

Secondly, it is also evident that EDSA has lost huge sum of money with PEC, because the lost customers activity due to it inability to charge, poor customer service etc and besides EDSA could not know what was being consumed apart from what PEC told them.

This is where the real fraud was taking place that needs ACC investigation. In a nutshell, it seems PEC is trying to get EDSA to do something illegal, by operating a contract that has expired which is pure dishonesty.                                             
Let me also hasten to inform the general public that, the meters that PEC illegally removed were also installed by an indigenous Sierra Leonean company that has successfully installed over 20,000 meters. This shows that EDSA does encourage Local content, but does not condone dishonesty and compromise national progress for the sake of selfish private interests.                                                 
Following the failure of PEC to answer to the questions asked by the general public in relation to its contractual agreement with EDSA that has tendency to rip off the country of it much needed revenue, the general public is now calling on the Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate PEC on it numerous queries raised.

Below are the following questions PEC continues to dodge that need the attention of the President as the country is certainly be on a time bomb if PEC Contract is renewed without adequately answering to these questions;

The public still demand answers to these following questions:

1. Is it true that EDSA does not have accessed to PEC’s system for monitoring and supervision purposes, and could this be one of the reasons why EDSA decided to terminate its contract with PEC?.

2. Is it true that PEC Smart meters are not compatible with the ones installed by EDSA?

3. Is it true that in installing their Smart meters, PEC removed EDSA meters that were already installed without noticing EDSA and without EDSA’s permission, thereby constituting an offence to remove government property? PEC could favour us with the written permission for EDSA to this effect.

4. Is it true that the PEC contract was limited to only the six months pilot project?

5. Is it true that PEC was collecting a whopping 10 percent commission from the bills it collected, while others were collecting 3%?

6. Is it true that EDSA had no access to the transactions done by PEC? If so, is it not a violation of the disclosure agreement reached by PEC with EDSA?

7. Is it true that costumers were complaining that, they were paying and not getting service on time?

8. Is it true that PEC on its own selected areas to install their Smart meters?

9. Is it true that after the contract expired in June 2016, the meters installed by PEC became the property of EDSA?

10. Most importantly, did PEC receive authorization from EDSA to install their meters? If so, can they produce original documents from EDSA?

These and yet more questions are of great interest to the general public and deserve answers.

As a result of that the are now calling on the ACC to frog match PEC officials to the commission to answer to these following questions and also investigate why PEC being a local contractor which has benefited from the Local Content Policy is collecting 10% commission of it total sales, while past foreign contractors were collecting 3% of their total sales.

This exorbitant commission collected by PEC, they said has some elements of corruption and kick backs, and therefore needs immediate investigation as they had betrayed the Local Content Policy and portrays bad image about the government.

It will interest the general public to know that the much trumpeted 2 billion Leones collected by PEC, PEC has benefited a whopping 200 million Leones from the said amount which constitute 10%.

Consequently, one would want to wonder why PEC is still behaving like a nuisance?

See next edition

SIERRA LEONE BREWERY CLEARS THE AIR

Brewery Clears the Air

By Ranger

"We are faced with the situation if Government continues to see as if money is not coming in they wont see the real picture. The real picture is that they (importers of beverage) have imported a huge stock at the old rate and have extended the shelf life of the imported drinks from six months to one year six months to two years and they are selling and making huge profit. They are trying to stifle Government revenue collection to make it seem as if nothing is happening which is wrong."

These were the words of Sierra Leone Brewery Limited (SLBL) officials while reacting to local reports that the newly-introduced Finance Act is causing the NRA to lose revenue.

Speaking at the Wellington Industrial Estate office in Freetown on Friday, 4th November, 2016, Sierra Leone Brewery officials on conditions of anonymity confirmed that the Finance Act was introduced in March this year, alledging that it did not come into effect until six months later in September this year.

The said officials added that during that period, importers of beverages took the opportunity to import very huge stocks into the country and also extended the shelf life of these imported beverages. It was also mentioned that it was done by these importers of beverages in order to make it seem as if they are currently not importing anything when in actual fact, they are now selling their old stocks at the new prices and making profit but presenting a picture as if nothing is happening and they are not importing anything.

On the other hand, it is implicated that the SLBL is losing out because since the Finance Act was introduced they have been fully complying by paying all the relevant taxes and levies to the NRA, the Freetown City Council etc. Again it was learnt that these importers are giving the impression as if Brewery is unable to supply the market and also unable to pay revenue in order to force the Government to overturn the Act simply because they had a field day during the six months before the Act came into force to bring in huge quantum of imported beverages to sell and make profit for at least two years.

This medium is of the understanding  that in the case of Brewery, it ran down its old stocks and brought in new stock of Heineken which is sold at Le292,000 (two hundred and ninety two thousand Leones) while other importers sell much lower their own stocks of different brands. It was also intimated that Brewery after the introduction of the Act, paid the new rate in taxes and duties as high as Le500, 000,000 (five hundred million Leones) for two containers.

The officials continued that Brewery pays Excise duties, and that Brewery can challenge them (importers of beverages) that they are not even paying EPA and other levies to the Government. I can boast of this because we have records to prove this, one of the officials told this reporter.

They are calling on the authorities (NRA) and others to conduct a spot check on warehouses of importers of beverages to see whether what is said is not the truth. SLBL officials challenged the general public to also enquire whether the SLBL has not been actively engaged in providing massive employment for the entire country. They added that the SLBL is responsible for providing thousands of direct and indirect employment for distributors, transporters, bar owners and other people, adding that over (10) ten thousand farming families who are engaged in growing sorghum are benefitting directly because Brewery is purchasing  sorghum from them only during the harvest season. We work with them and give them target during the planting season, another official informed.

“We cannot continue importing all the time,” they said furthering that “anyone who loves Sierra Leone should come and open their own factory, so that importing beverages would stop or be reduced drastically."                                       They went on to say that Brewery is paying import duty for Heineken and Cider, (Strong Bow); raw materials (malt etc), spare parts, packaging materials for example empty bottles, crates, crowns (stoppers), labels etc.

They added that Brewery also pays Excise duties for all locally produced drinks based on the volume produced; that is, the more produced the higher Excise duty paid.
These officials added that the Brewery also pays PAYE (Pay-As-You-Earn) for its entire staff, NASSIT fees, and pays annual EPA fees, plus import duty and levies taxes comprising 4.07 Billion Leones is payment for August September and October, 3% advanced income tax, output GST, excise duty for local production, excise duty  for imported beer, import duty and levy tax.

They maintained that unlike others, Brewery is thickly into performing its corporate social responsibilities (CSR). A top official of the company said Brewery is building schools toilets, water wells and the are building two (2) hospitals, one (1) in Calaba Town and one (1) Wellington Communities, which cost the company a little over 1.5 billion Leones in Constituency 98 ward 350 and in Constituency 97.

The officials called on the Government to understand the case of the Brewery and to inspect the records of importers at the Customs to see that they (importers of beverages) actually took undue advantage of the system to make it seem as if Brewery is unable to cope with the Finance Act which is entirely untrue.

They added that, they also want to educate the Government on the fact that the period to analyze the Brewerys performance with regard its compliance with the Finance Act is too short, taking into consideration the above reasons and unfair completion practiced by importers of beverages which the Government needs to investigate and not wait until their huge stockpiles hurriedly brought into the country in March are depleted.

“Let them show evidence of their real stocks imported. Let the government check with Customs and the truth shall be revealed, the SLBL officials challenged.