Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. The Mayor of Freetown City Council has expressed serious concern over the timing of the proposed transfer of the Council’s Finance Officer, warning that the move could disrupt critical year-end financial operations at the municipality.
In a letter dated December 24, 2025, and addressed to the Executive Secretary of the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC), the Mayor reacted to an earlier directive instructing the Freetown City Council (FCC) Finance Officer to hand over his position to the Pujehun District Finance Officer on December 30, 2025.
The LGSC letter, dated December 23, 2025, reportedly warned that failure to comply would result in a three-month suspension without salary.
Citing her statutory responsibility under Section 12 (2) (h) of the Local Government Act of 2022 to ensure that the financial affairs of the council are properly managed and controlled, the Mayor described the timing of the transfer as “deeply concerning.”
According to the Mayor, the end of the year is a critical period for any finance department, and replacing the head of the finance function at such a sensitive time could destabilize and undermine the council’s financial operations.
She highlighted several key financial processes currently underway at the Freetown City Council that would be adversely affected by the transfer.
These include the uploading of the 2026 budget onto the Public Financial Management (PFM) Smart system, which is currently being piloted at the FCC by the Ministry of Finance.
Other ongoing activities mentioned include the reconciliation of PFM Smart expenditures across all council bank accounts with FCC cash books, reconciliation of MOPTAX and enforcement revenues with bank statements, and the preparation of the 2025 financial statements for submission to Audit Service Sierra Leone for statutory audit purposes.
The Mayor cautioned that interrupting these processes could have serious implications for financial accountability, transparency, and compliance, especially as the council prepares for audit and transitions into the 2026 financial year.
The letter stops short of rejecting the transfer outright but strongly urges the Local Government Service Commission to reconsider the timing in the interest of sound financial management and institutional stability at the Freetown City Council.
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