Sierra Leone suspended collection of the US$25 airport security fee at Freetown International Airport in July 2026, but the public record does not support treating the suspension as an automatic termination of every Securiport service or as the final result of the announced audit.
The fee suspension began on 6 July 2026 during a government review. Contemporary reporting, including Premier News, said the Ministry of Internal Affairs ordered the collection pause while the contract was reviewed and a special audit was pursued.
The same accounts said the operating contract had not been terminated. Passenger data and technical services were expected to continue during the review. A fee, a contract and a technology service can move into different legal states on the same day.
What the suspension changed ¶
For passengers, the immediate change concerned collection of the US$25 charge. A suspension means the collection authority is paused until another decision restores, changes or ends it. It does not tell readers whether the government owes money, whether equipment remains active or whether a supplier's contract continues under different terms.
Before the suspension, the Sierra Leone Immigration Department reported an inspection of cameras, scanners, monitors and electronic gate booths at the airport. That record confirms an operational inspection, not the outcome of the later special audit.
The 2024 Auditor General report contains a separate e-visa revenue finding. Auditors recorded 4,868 electronic visas and NLe9,708,321.03 transferred to the Consolidated Fund, then said the completed reconciliation, bank statements and cashbook remained outstanding.
That annual audit finding is important, but it should not be confused with the special audit announced during the July 2026 fee suspension. They are different exercises with different dates and subjects.
What remains unanswered ¶
The current public answer still needs the special audit report, a dated government decision on the fee, a clear statement of the operating contract status and an account of any changes to collection or service.
The public would benefit from one official table showing the legal basis for the fee, amount, exemptions, collection method, receiving accounts, government share, supplier share and monthly reconciliation. The table should identify which fields changed after the suspension.
Airlines need the same clarity. A carrier or travel agent should be able to point passengers to one current notice that states whether a charge belongs inside the ticket, at an online payment portal or nowhere during the suspension. That notice should carry an effective date and replace older instructions that may still appear in search results.
The special audit needs a similar closure record. If it is complete, the responsible authority should publish the report or a formal summary of findings, responses and action taken. If it is still open, the public notice should say so rather than leaving readers to infer an outcome from the passage of time.
The current status guide separates the fee pause from the contract and service. It reports that no published special audit result had been located by late October 2026.
The accurate short answer ¶
Sierra Leone suspended the US$25 airport security fee pending review and a special audit. The available notice did not itself terminate the Securiport operating contract. Technical and passenger data services were reported to continue. The final special audit result and later government decision should be published before anybody describes the review as closed.
That answer leaves room for criticism without inventing an outcome. It keeps the fee, contract, service and audit on separate lines until official records connect them.
