2007 Assessment

This peer-reviewed country report includes:

Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for more than 300 Integrity Indicators.

Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.

Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.

Country Facts: Statistical context for each country.

Sierra Leone has deep problems with governance and anti-corruption, starting with an apparent unwillingness to expose high level officials to the risk of prosecution. Government accountability (executive, legislative, judicial), budget practices and the civil service are all rated as very weak. Whistleblower protections are practically non-existent. Integrity officers of the anti-corruption agency are members of various ministries. One reviewer writes, "Since the ombudsman has always been appointed by the president, he is for the president, for better or for worse." On the positive side, civil society organizations are free to organize and play an important role in policy development.