WAEC Chief Examiner Convicted for Corruption and Exam Malpractice
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has secured a conviction against Issa Kamara, the Chief Examiner of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), for a series of corruption-related offences, including academic malpractice during the 2024 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The High Court of Sierra Leone, presided over by Honourable Justice Cosmotina Jarrett, found Kamara guilty on five counts: Abuse of Office, Abuse of Position, Conspiracy to Commit a Corruption Offence, Influencing a Public Officer, and Academic Malpractice — all offences under the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008 (as amended in 2019).
Kamara was sentenced to pay Le 30,000 for each of the first four offences and Le 50,000 for the fifth, totaling Le 170,000. The court ordered that the fine be paid immediately or Kamara would serve a five-year prison term. Additionally, he has been banned for five years from teaching, acting as a Chief Examiner, or practicing any profession that could enable academic malpractice.
According to court proceedings, Kamara misused his position to assist a candidate — his nephew, Foday Fasuluku Mansaray — by handing over his exam script to Ibrahim Kamara, who completed some of the answers before the paper was resubmitted for official marking. The trial of Ibrahim Kamara is ongoing.
The ACC, in a statement, reaffirmed its determination to root out all forms of corruption, particularly those that compromise the integrity of national examinations. “This conviction is a strong message that academic malpractice will not be tolerated,” the Commission stated.
The ACC has urged the public to remain vigilant and continue reporting corruption to support efforts in protecting educational integrity in Sierra Leone.
For more information, the public is encouraged to contact the ACC via Alex A. Bah, Public Relations Assistant at +232-78-004714 or by email at info@anticorruption.gov.sl.