Sierra Leone: If We Release Evidence Of Exam Malpractice, There Will Be War – WAEC SL Speaks Out On Seized Results

Lawyers for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) have claimed that the publication of examination malpractice evidence will jeopardize national security and the defence of Sierra Leone.

According to Betts and Berewa Solicitors, there will be a floodgate of requests for evidence of exams malpractice if WAEC decides to make available to the Fontricia Children’s Foundation to 2015 exam malpractice evidence it is requesting.

“If the request is granted in this instance case, we believe it will open flood gates for candidates who had issues with their results be it past or present to request for their results..,” the lawyers said in a letter.

The lawyers furthered that the disclosure of such evidence will prejudice relations between Sierra Leone and member countries of West African Examination Council.

 “The disclosure of results to anybody or institution after an allegation of examination malpractice, would create leverage for the perpetration of crime during examinations within the length and breadth of Sierra Leone,” the letter states.

This letter from the WAEC lawyers was the response to the seven working days ultimatum handed down on WAEC by the Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC) to hand over exams malpractice evidence to the Fontricia Children’s Foundation.

RAIC is yet to respond to the WAEC letter but the Executive Director of the Fontricia Children’s Foundation, Abdul Fonti, has referred to the content of the letter as childish.

 “Unless WAEC wants the public to believe that they have been penalizing pupils over the years with no evidence to substantiate claims of exams malpractice; unless WAEC wants us to believe that the seizure of results was a grand wicked plan by member countries of WAEC including Nigeria and Ghana to deprive pupils of their rights to education; otherwise, these excuses of national instability and relationship damage are just wicked and flimsy,” Fonti said.

He however disclosed that his foundation would be sponsoring a class action suit against WAEC within the next two weeks to force the exams body to defend their actions of seizing results in the public court of law.

The foundation, according to him, will sponsor series of suits against WAEC in the coming weeks and months including results seized as far back as 1975, starting with the 2015 seized WASSCE results.