Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr has called on the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) to suspend the immediate transfer of the Finance Officer at the Freetown City Council, cautioning that the decision could severely affect crucial end-of-year financial activities.
In a letter dated 24 December 2025 to the Executive Secretary of the LGSC, the Mayor raised strong concerns over directives requiring the Finance Officer to hand over responsibilities by 30 December, with the threat of a three-month suspension without pay for non-compliance.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr said the timing of the proposed transfer, coming just a day before the close of the financial year, could undermine financial continuity at the Council. She described the year-end period as particularly critical, noting that it demands stability, institutional knowledge and close supervision.
She outlined several ongoing financial processes that could be disrupted, including the uploading of the Council’s 2026 budget onto the newly introduced PFM Smart system under the Ministry of Finance, the reconciliation of multiple revenue sources and bank accounts, and the preparation of the 2025 financial statements for submission to Audit Services Sierra Leone.
The Mayor further noted that the affected officer is currently the only finance professional in the country with substantial practical experience in using the PFM Smart system. She added that Freetown’s digital property tax platform, MOPTAX, is unique to the city and requires specialized expertise, particularly during year-end reconciliations.
According to the Mayor, proceeding with the transfer at this stage would likely lead to operational setbacks and increase the risk of errors, as any replacement officer would require time to become familiar with the systems in place.
She therefore appealed to the Commission to defer the transfer until all year-end financial processes are concluded, stressing that such a move would be in the best interest of the public and the effective management of the Council’s finances.
The Mayor’s letter was copied to several key stakeholders, including the Minister and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, relevant parliamentary oversight committees, and senior officials of the Freetown City Council.
Her appeal follows a separate LGSC correspondence dated 23 December 2025, which accused the Finance Officer of failing to complete an earlier handover agreement and warned of suspension without pay if the process was not finalized by 30 December.
The LGSC is yet to issue a public response to the Mayor’s request.
