In order to answer inquiries about the D200,000 she paid to upgrade her airline ticket from economy to business class, Banjul Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe appeared before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry.
“There was a time that you were paid two hundred thousand dalasi through Fatou Mbenga to upgrade your flight ticket from economy to business class,” the Commission’s Lead Counsel asked the mayor. What caused this?
The payment was related to a multi-leg official journey from Kenya to Morocco, Indonesia, Malaysia, and then back to The Gambia, Mayor Lowe said.
“So the company gave me all of the tickets,” she said. “So, due to the journey. It’s lengthy. I made the decision to take some business and some economy flights.
She explained that the Banjul City Council gave her permission to make the required adjustments at the airports while she was traveling because the renovations could not be made in The Gambia. In Kenya, she recalled, she made one such modification.
When she returned from the trip, Mayor Lowe reported that she had finished the retirement process and turned in all relevant invoices to Mustapha Batchilly, the then-CEO of BCC.
Batchilly, however, denied getting any receipts when questioned about them by Counsel Patrick Gomez.
Batchilly to the Commission, “No, I did not see any receipt.”
The mayor was then told by Gomez that Batchilly had previously responded in the same way when asked about the issue. He suggested that she present any remaining receipts.
“I told you we have to refund the Two Hundred Thousand and Fatou brought the receipt to the commission,” claimed Mayor Lowe, who insisted that the money had been returned.
Although Counsel Gomez acknowledged receipt, he expressed reservations regarding the transaction’s timetable. Refunds are due in 2024. In 2022, this transaction took place. We haven’t seen any signs of an upgrade in the last two years.
To look into administrative and financial issues in local governments throughout The Gambia, the Local Government Commission of Inquiry was founded.
