All ears were tuned to Justice Biobele Georgewill’s Commission of Inquiry No. 64 yesterday Thursday 11th April 2019 as the President of All-Stars Musicians of Sierra Leone, Milton Coker aka Collabo testified as to how he received Le500 million from the Youth in Drainage project.

Justice Biobele issued summons for him, Esther Michael of Music for Girls and Alhaji Ibrahim Kamara alias Sheik of Street Life Family who were also said to have received 300 and 50 million Leones respectively from the said project account to present themselves to the commission.

Head of Street Life Family, Alhaji Ibrahim Kamara who is also wanted by the police for various offences failed to appear before the commission without excuse as he is believed to have fled the country.

Though, the State Counsel, Oladipo Robin Mason’s request for a bench warrant for the fugitive was rejected, but Justice Biobele Georgewill called for his deputy to appear before the commission.

However, Collabo explained that he received the money after writing a proposal to the Ministry of Youth Affairs copied to the Ministry of Information and Communications requesting fund to undertake a sensitization message to the United States after the Ebola outbreak.

He told the commission that, funding in the region of Le 520 million was approved but he only Le500 million.

He said, he used the money to buy thirty airline tickets for a 30-man delegation to travel to the United States of America to sensitize the world over that Sierra Leone is a safe country, after the horrific Ebola period which made the country a fearful place for foreigners to visit.

He said the rest was spent on other things for which he provided documentary evidence.

The money, he said, was paid from the Roads Maintenance Fund Agency’s account with the consent of the Ministry of Youth, but was totally unaware that such funding came from the Youth in Drainage project

Similarly, the Founder and CEO of Girls Initiative for Africa, Esther Michael told the commission that she also wrote a project to Road Maintenance Fund Authority for assistance who referred her to the Ministry of Youth for approval.

In 2016, she said, she received Le98 million and in 2017 Le50 million and produced her progress report.

She denied knowledge of the Youth in Drainage project but believed that although RMFA was set up for road maintenance activities renders public service through its corporate social responsibility.