On Monday, August 11, 2025, the Local Government Commission of Inquiry questioned Sheriffo Sonko, the former Chairman of the Brikama Area Council (BAC), and his former CEO, Modou Jonga, about claims of D164,000 in revenue suppression involving council collector Alieu Sanneh.
BAC’s internal auditor testified before the panel that Sanneh was not disciplined in line with the correct procedures due to his alleged relationship to Sonko.
Sonko asserted that he first encountered Sanneh after he started working at the council, but he denied any family ties to the woman.
The former chairman clarified that he had been notified by Jonga about the purported revenue suppression and that he had assigned the council’s audit team to look into it. “He informed me that he dispatched the audit unit to conduct the inquiry,” Sonko stated in her testimony.
Although he acknowledged that the subject was ultimately sent to the service commission, Sonko said he was unsure if the audit’s conclusions supported the accusations.
In response to allegations that Sanneh was exempted from appropriate disciplinary action due to his purported association with him, Sonko insisted that he lacked the power to impede the committee’s work.
“And I am not related to Alieu in any way, and I didn’t know him until I met him at the council,” he stated.
“The report endorsed proceeding to the General Council in accordance with the recommendation of the Establishment Committee,” he explained. He couldn’t remember, though, if the report was ever brought before the council.
Modou Jonga, the former CEO, clarified that he was not aware of any personal relationship between revenue collector Alieu Sanneh and former Chairman Sheriffo Sonko, stating that their exchanges were completely formal.
Jonga addressed the problem of revenue suppression by stating that he was verbally informed about possible revenue fraud in Foni. He said that the chairman, the finance director, and the internal auditor were informed of this information, and they looked into it further.
Jonga stated that after the audit inquiry, the report was given to Alieu Sanneh, the accused revenue collector, for his reaction.
According to Jonga’s testimony, “Alieu, in turn, denied part of the report of revenue suppression and said that some of the amounts that are allegedly suppressed in the receipt are overstated.”
He claimed that although the Permanent Secretary received the report for disciplinary action, the Local Service Commission had not yet made a judgment.
For the Commission’s consideration, he was directed to submit the letters that were sent to the Permanent Secretary.
Jonga affirmed that the issue was not brought before the General Council, stating that Alieu Sanneh’s role was above grade 5.1, whereas at the time, CEOs were assigned to supervise employees from that grade and lower.
He stated that the suggestion of the Establishment and Appointment Committee should be forwarded to the Local Service Commission as the proper course of action.
Since the committees are answerable to the General Council, he later acknowledged that the report ought to have been sent to the Council.
Additionally, the Commission was able to gather proof that Sanneh was legally placed on three months of unpaid leave, although he was nonetheless paid at that time.
“No, that is not correct,” Jonga said in response to additional queries. Since he wasn’t getting paid, we asked him to show us all of his tools.
In his previous statement to the panel, Sanneh stated that he had been suspended for three months without pay, but that his salary had never been terminated. Counsel Gomez read this declaration aloud.
Jonga responded by contesting the veracity of the story. Later on, he informed the panel that he was unable to corroborate the situation at that time and asked for more time to do so.
