Sierra Leone Pushes for Stricter Financial Rules and Limits on Presidential Immunity

Political commentator Dr. Sylvia Blyden called for tighter enforcement of existing Know‑Your‑Customer regulations to combat a surge in mobile‑money fraud. She urged the Bank of Sierra Leone, telecom operators and the National Security Council, chaired by President Julius Maada Bio, to ensure that every mobile‑money account is linked to a national ID and updated bi‑weekly, making transactions traceable under banking law.

In a separate commentary, lawyer Oumar Farouk Sesay warned that granting former presidents blanket immunity would undermine justice in Sierra Leone. Citing past tragedies such as the Pademba Road killings (April 2020) and the August 2022 shootings of police officers and civilians, he argued that immunity would shield officials from accountability, echoing similar impunity cases in Sudan, Kenya and The Gambia.