In a surprising revelation during the Local Government Commission of Inquiry, Mustapha Sarr, a trade licence revenue collector for the Banjul City Council (BCC), admitted to withholding a total of Three Hundred and Fifty-four Thousand Dalasi (D354,000) from the council’s revenue collections between 2021 and 2022.
Sarr admitted that the money was utilised for personal purposes, encompassing family issues and his own entrepreneurial endeavours.
“I was utilising the funds for family-related issues.” Sarr disclosed that he has personal businesses for which he utilised the funds, explaining how he misappropriated the money collected after neglecting to submit it to the BCC cashier.
Sarr described how he would spend the money he anticipated receiving from his relatives overseas, planning to pay them back at a later time.
During an inquiry led by Deputy Counsel Sunkary Camara, Sarr conceded that he had not obtained approval from BCC management to use the council’s funds for personal expenditures, recognising that these actions were illegal.
Sarr disclosed that he has commenced the repayment of the misappropriated funds, having already refunded D25,000 to the council’s account, in accordance with the directives from acting director of finance, Mr. Sowe.
The inquiry also received testimony from Alagie Sowe, a suspended revenue collector from BCC, who faced allegations of fraudulent activities during his time in office. Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez pointed out inconsistencies in Sowe’s financial records, referencing an audit report from 2018 that showed Sowe had collected D172,000 but did not deposit it into the bank.
Sowe argued that the audit query pertained to a six-month timeframe and asserted that the discrepancy resulted from a posting error. He stated that he had tried to meet with the director of audit to address the issue, but was unsuccessful in doing so. Sowe provided the commission with his suspension letter and indicated that his cash books were transferred to other BCC officials at the time of his suspension.
The inquiry additionally highlighted a national audit report, which indicated that Sowe had purportedly concealed D678,040 in revenue. Nevertheless, Counsel Gomez chose not to question Sowe regarding this specific issue, indicating that additional examination of this discrepancy would take place at a later time.
The hearings persist as the Commission of Inquiry endeavours to reveal the complete scope of financial mismanagement within BCC’s revenue collection system.
