In their testimony before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry yesterday, three representatives of the Banjul City Council (BCC) disclosed alleged financial mismanagement and conflicts of interest in the administration of the BCC-EU project.
One of them, Administrative Manager Sandigie Njie, revealed that steering committee members of the EU project who had “close links” to the CEO were reportedly involved in a plot to enhance their own gains.
He pointed out that the individuals in charge of the project were also in charge of its execution. Mr. Njie declared, “That is not right and it is a very serious issue.”
He also claimed that certain council members had taken advantage of the EU project to “extort” money, as seen by the increase in their allowances.
According to Mr. Njie, two employees—field coordinator Buba Camara and accountant Ndey I. Touray—had to leave their jobs due to questionable reasons, such as a disagreement with the CEO and steering committee members that suggested conflicting interests.
There are many unresolved questions surrounding the way this project was handled, he claimed, adding that even auditors raised concerns. He personally wrote to the CEO about the issue, but his letters were not taken seriously.
Suspicion of partiality and lack of due process was raised when the witness informed the commission that Kebba and Sons, a private company, was the almost sole recipient of procurement contracts for the EU project.
Acting Director of Administration Yusupha Jallow, another BCC officer, claimed that the mayor had directly hired several employees without following the proper processes.
The witness stated that he had written to the CEO regarding the matter when asked what actions he had personally taken to address concerns of corrupt practices and poor administration.
When asked about Binta Conteh’s appointment, the witness clarified that she is the mayor’s secretary and that she was among those the mayor brought to the council in 2018.
Additionally, he said that personal loans were helping staff members and that he had twice profited from them.
He should have paid off his first debt before taking out a second one, Lead Counsel Gomez said, but the witness insisted that the second loan was necessary.
