Lawyer Yada Williams Rebuts SLRSA Statement, Stands by Bribery Allegation Against Warden

Prominent barrister and solicitor, Yada Hashim Williams, has issued a detailed response to the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) following its press release on 11 November 2025 disputing his allegation that a Road Safety Warden, Abdulai Barrie, solicited a bribe.

Williams said the Authority’s public statement contradicts the findings of its own internal investigative body.

In his statement, Williams emphasized that the investigative panel, led by the Director of Human Resources and five senior Road Safety Wardens, conducted a hearing on 7 November 2025 in the presence of both Mr. Barrie and himself. Following the hearing, the Director of Human Resources reportedly apologized on behalf of the Authority, stating:

"On behalf of the Board, Management and staff, I want to tender our sincere apology. This is not what we tell them to do. It is not. Yes. As long as you are in uniform, you are representing the Authority, but those things he did are not of the Authority. We want to apologize. As an Authority, we have to take administrative action."

Williams expressed surprise at the SLRSA management’s apparent divergence from these conclusions in its press release.

He maintained that his complaint was made in good faith, noting that corruption among traffic wardens is widely known, though often unreported due to fear of harassment or futility. He clarified that while he did not produce audio or video recordings, the warden’s own private admission corroborated the allegation. According to Williams, Mr. Barrie asked him to discuss the matter inside his vehicle away from the public eye and solicited NLe 250,000, despite having no authority to discount the legally prescribed fine of NLe 400.

Williams also criticized the SLRSA for requesting that he withdraw his complaint, describing the call as “ridiculous and disingenuous.” He stressed that the Authority had already set up an investigative body that completed its mandate and issued an apology, making the management’s later characterization of the complaint as “baseless” inconsistent and alarming.

He concluded by underlining the importance of civic responsibility, stating:

"Sierra Leone will become a better country only when citizens speak up, and institutions respond constructively, not defensively. I therefore stick to my story that Mr. Barrie, warden, solicited a bribe from me."