Exit of a Parliamentary Rogue

Paran Umar Tarawally

 

By Alpha Amadu Jalloh, Author of “Monopoly of Happiness. Unveiling Sierra Leone’s Social Imbalance”, and Recipient of the Africa Renaissance Leadership Award 2025

 

When history eventually writes the chapter of Sierra Leone’s institutional collapse, the name Paran Umar Tarawally will not be absent. For far too long, he stood at the epicentre of parliamentary decay. A man who should have exited the corridors of power years ago but was instead shielded by the very system he manipulated. His recent removal by direct instruction from President Julius Maada Bio is not a triumph of accountability. It is a damning indictment of how long corruption, abuse of office, and impunity can survive when protected by political loyalty.

 

Paran Tarawally’s tenure as Clerk of Parliament has been riddled with controversy, corruption, and constitutional sabotage. His presence in the Parliament of Sierra Leone was not one of service or legislative enhancement. Rather, it was one marked by scandal, division, and betrayal of democratic norms. Yet, instead of being held accountable for his numerous indiscretions, Tarawally was emboldened by factions within the Sierra Leone People’s Party who stood their ground to keep him in office. Especially after he was briefly suspended by then Speaker of Parliament, Dr. Abass Bundu.

 

What message did it send to the public when Bundu was forced to resign. Not because of his own wrongdoings, but for daring to challenge a rogue clerk backed by the inner sanctum of the SLPP. President Bio’s intervention to protect Tarawally during that moment signaled that loyalty trumped integrity. Within the SLPP, cronies could override institutional checks and balances. The reinstatement of Paran Tarawally after his suspension was a betrayal of parliamentary ethics and a slap in the face of every Sierra Leonean who believes in transparent governance.

 

Let us recall just one of the most damaging confessions made by Tarawally himself. With shameless audacity, he publicly declared that the results of the 2023 parliamentary elections were manipulated to grant the SLPP a parliamentary majority. In any functioning democracy, such an admission from a senior parliamentary officer would trigger a judicial inquiry and criminal proceedings. But in Sierra Leone, it was just another news cycle.

 

Tarawally’s confession laid bare the truth behind the mass expulsion of opposition members of parliament from the All People’s Congress. Those expulsions, carried out under the guise of constitutional irregularities, were in fact part of a deliberate plan to cripple the opposition and consolidate one-party rule. Tarawally helped orchestrate this political heist and then arrogantly told the people of Sierra Leone how it was done. Still, no handcuffs, no accountability, no justice. Just more power.

 

This is not merely about political rivalry. This is about the desecration of a sacred institution. Parliament. Sierra Leone’s Parliament should be a symbol of democratic aspiration and legislative independence. Instead, under Tarawally’s shadow, it became a rubber stamp for executive overreach and SLPP manipulation. He brought dishonour to the institution. Yet SLPP

 

parliamentarians closed ranks around him. Why? Because he served the interests of a select few and betrayed the trust of millions.

 

Then came the corruption scandal that should have ended his career. In a more just society, it would have landed him behind bars. Paran Tarawally was found to have illegally employed his own wife in Parliament. She was on the government payroll, drawing a salary from the consolidated fund. This was a blatant act of nepotism and abuse of public resources. And yet, what did the Anti-Corruption Commission do?

 

Under the leadership of Francis Ben Kaifala, the ACC treated this crime as an internal matter and referred it to the Office of the President. What an insult to the intelligence of Sierra Leoneans. Since then corruption has become a private HR issue. If this were an opposition figure or a vocal critic of the government, the ACC would have swiftly mobilized its prosecution team. They would have held flashy press conferences and published front-page headlines about their war on corruption.

Anti corruption commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala and Paran Umar Tarawally

 

But Paran Tarawally was different. He was one of them. A political insider. A loyalist. A man who had helped bend the rules in their favour. And so, the watchdog became a lapdog. Kaifala’s failure to act was not just a lapse in judgment. It was a dereliction of duty. The ACC’s silence and complicity were deafening and shameful. Instead of delivering justice, it delivered excuses.

 

President Bio’s belated decision to finally remove Paran Tarawally from office should not be mistaken for a bold move. It is damage control. A desperate attempt to contain a scandal that had spiralled beyond public tolerance. After years of enabling Tarawally’s misconduct, the government could no longer ignore the mountain of evidence against him. The damage had already been done. Parliament’s reputation lies in tatters. Trust in democratic processes has eroded. Public cynicism is at an all-time high.

 

Let us not forget those within the SLPP who stubbornly defended Tarawally through every storm. These are parliamentarians who placed personal loyalty above public accountability. They undermined Speaker Abass Bundu. They weakened the authority of Parliament. They stood in the way of justice. They are complicit in every abuse of power Tarawally committed. They share the blame for the decay that Parliament has suffered.

 

In a true democracy, legislators are guardians of transparency and justice. But Sierra Leone’s SLPP MPs who fought for Tarawally’s retention chose to be guardians of privilege, secrecy, and political expediency. Their actions eroded the people’s confidence in Parliament. Their silence during Tarawally’s scandals made them co-authors of institutional failure.

 

Now that Tarawally is gone, the question remains. Will he be investigated, prosecuted, and made to answer for his crimes. Or will his dismissal be the final chapter in a cover-up of convenience.

 

If the government wants to prove that it is serious about reform and accountability, then the answer is clear. Paran Tarawally must be removed. He must be held accountable through the full force of the law. Nepotism, corruption, and electoral fraud are not internal matters. They are crimes against the state and the people.

 

Furthermore, Speaker Bundu deserves a public apology. His principled stand against Tarawally cost him his job. He was pushed out not because he failed, but because he stood up for the right thing. His forced resignation revealed the dark undercurrents of SLPP politics. In this political space, good men are punished, and corrupt ones are rewarded.

 

This moment should be a turning point for Sierra Leone’s Parliament. It must begin a process of reform rooted in integrity and public service. The institution must be rescued from the grip of political gangsters and restored to its rightful role as the people’s legislative house.

 

Paran Tarawally’s departure should serve as a warning to all who manipulate public institutions for private gain. But more importantly, it must be a wake-up call to citizens, civil society, and the media to remain vigilant. Our democracy is only as strong as the institutions that protect it. Those institutions must never again be allowed to fall into the hands of men like Tarawally.