As State House Implicated… Over $60 M Payment To Alimu Barrie Causes IMF Suspension

Sources closed to IMF has intimated NEW AGE that Sierra Leone has been suspended from all IMF activities following huge budgetary over runs on roads by the government of Sierra Leone between November and December.
The IMF review mission did a staff visit in April this year and highlighted huge budgetary overruns and because the government did not meet the criteria IMF did not carry out any review, rather they postponed the review to June with the expectation of government meeting the criteria for a review.
This situation has caused a financial standstill for the government programmes with the government struggling to raise revenue while at the same time spending massively.
The IMF suspension simply means that all other credible financial organisations like the World Bank has also suspended their activities with the government of Sierra Leone until June.
Upon Investigation, NEW AGE found out that in November last year, the government of Sierra Leone paid over $60 Million to one Alimu Barrie and his Pavi Fort Company for road construction for which people are yet to see the roads in question constructed the company.
This payment caused serious alarm in the financial sectors both internally and externally but because Alimu Barrie is very close to the people in the corridors of power, State House okayed the payment.
This happened at a time when other contractors are struggling to get paid.
Efforts made to reach Alimu Barrie proved fruitless as he failed to respond. More on this in subsequent editions.