Regarding his agreement with the Banjul City Council (BCC) for the Ostend-Banjul Lot 1 project, contractor and farmer Lamin Jatta testified before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry.
Jatta was questioned by Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez throughout the hearing regarding the D8,773,201 payment he was given for the project, which included building an office complex and conference room under Lot 1.
Jatta clarified that after answering a public ad he saw in a newspaper, he was given the contract through a competitive tendering process. He attended the bid opening after submitting his bid materials to the BCC reception, albeit he couldn’t remember the exact number of other bidders in attendance.
Copies of the contracts he signed with BCC were tendered and accepted into evidence as exhibits, and he brought them to the commission.
Jatta added that the project’s payment was deposited straight into his farm account, and he provided the commission with his bank statement as proof. This was also marked as an exhibit and tendered. He pointed out that the payment did not include any withholding tax.
In reference to the project’s current state, Jatta attested to having successfully finished the work in December 2024. But he admitted that he does not currently have a completion certificate.
“I finish the project in December 2024. He remarked, “I don’t have my certificate of completion.”
He confirmed that he was paid in full for the contract as he wrapped up his evidence.
