By Sarjo Brito
A leaked report on the findings and recommendations of the inspection team that was tasked by the Ministry of Local Government to investigate the Kanifing Municipal Council on corruption allegations has revealed that the former CEO of the Kanifing Municipal Council Sainabou Martin Sonko allegedly solicited an amount of D1 million as ‘cola nut’ money for her to expedite the payment of D4.5 million to ALMOT. The CEO of ALMOT Mr Alieu Danso reportedly entered into an agreement with the staff association of the council to provide a total of 167 plots of land for interested staff of the council at an amount of D60,000 per plot, payable in 40months. The report says the staff deductions began in October 2020 until May 2021 when the staff association decided that ALMOT must show the staff their plots of land they were paying for, in failure of which they will stop paying. ALMOT failed to honour their end of the bargain according to the report.
According to the report of the inspection team, the following finding were made:
‘’It was discovered in a letter written by the CEO of ALMOT Mr. Alieu Danso to the ECO of KMC, (Sainabou) the former was requesting for the CEO of KMC to pay upfront the sum of 4.5 million dalasis towards the payment of plan for the plots of land for the Council Staff’’
‘’the D30,000 allege bribery received by the CEO Sainabou Martin Sonko from the CEO of ALMOT Alieu Danso, is a result of the contractual agreement to purchase plots of land for the KMCSWA. Mr. Alieu Danso alleged that he gave once received a call from Baboucarr Sanyang stating that the CEO Sainabou Martin Sonko requested for him to give her one million dalasis as ‘cola nut’ in order for her to speed up payment of the 4.5 million dalasis he earlier requested to cover up a period of 12 months as first instalment. Alieu Danso allegedly declined to honour the request solicited by CEO Sonko. Mr Danso later said he was called by Baboucarr Sanyang allegedly conveying another message from CEO Sonko that, Mr Danso can now give her D100,000 instead, which Mr. Danso again said he does not have’’
‘’however, Mr. Danso told the inspection team that it was after these calls that he decided to come and meet CEO Sainabou Martin Sonko personally and persuade her to take D30,000 instead. He said he gave the money to Sainabou in the presence of Baboucarr Sanyang in expectation of a favour to receive the 4.5 million he had earlier requested’’
‘’The CEO Sainabou Martin Sonko confirmed to the inspection team that of receiving the D30,000 from Mr. Danso. However, she denied the allegation that she received the money as a ‘bribe’ for her to expedite the payment. She stated that it does not make any sense knowing that the KMCSWA did not have D4.5 million in its account to make such payment to ALMOT’’
‘’Sainabou Martin Sonko further stated that she refused to take the offer of D30,000 from Mr Danso of ALMOT thrice but was later convinced to receive the money by Baboucarr Sanyang saying in wollof ‘’Lii teranga la, the teranga ken do kodeloh’’, loosely meaning: This is a favour, and no one rejects a favour. It was because of the persuasion of her colleague Baboucarr Sanyang that she finally accepted the said money’’
Baboucarr Sanyang denied the allegation from both parties that he participated in contact the CEO of ALMOT on behalf of CEO Sonko nor persuaded CEO Sonko to accept the alleged bribe. The duo however insists in all their engagements with the inspection team that Baboucarr Sanyang was present in all the meetings that took place between the two of them and that he was there when the CEO Sonko received the D30,000 from the CEO of ALMOT Alieu Danso.
The Kanifing Municipal Council was involved in a huge corruption scandal last year following allegations involving the CEO Sainabou Martin Sonko and then Deputy Mayor Musa Bah. The allegations led to the suspension of CEO Sonko and Musa stepping down from his role as Talib’s number two. A commission of inquiry was recently set up by the Gambia government to investigate the council on these charges.
