By Alieu Jallow

Justice Ebrima Jaiteh of The Gambia’s High Court on Monday granted bail of D1 million dalasi to Lamin Jallow, who had been arrested by the drug law enforcement agency and remanded on charges of possession of prohibited drugs.

Earlier, the Brikama Magistrates Court had remanded him on charges of possessing prohibited drugs, which is an offence under section 43(4) of the Drug Control Act and is in line with section 99(1) of the Criminal Code Procedure (CPC).

Justice Jaiteh, in his ruling, referred to section 24 of the 1997 Constitution which presumes the innocence of the accused until proven guilty. Therefore, the judge exercised discretion and granted bail to the applicant, Lamin Jallow, on the following conditions:

1. A bail grant of D1million
2. The applicant provides one Gambian surety who must depose an affidavit of the means in the like sum.

3. The applicant is to deposit his or her title deeds or free to hold title of land property with the principal registrar of the High Court with a valuation report not later than the court order.

4. The applicant is required to attend every court sitting up to judgment.

5. The Drug Law Enforcement Agency (DLEA) is to relist the drug case against Brikama Magistrates Court on or before but not later than 3 months from the date of this order.

6. The failure of the DLEA to relist or file charges against the applicant shall elapse and he shall be discharged from remanded prison with or without sureties.

Similarly, Justice Jaiteh granted bail to a man named Badou Jagne who had been caught stealing from a motor vehicle. The charges against him were contrary to sections 368 and 256(a) of the criminal code of the Gambia. In his ruling, the presiding Judge stated that the offence was bailable within the meaning of section 99(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).

Jagne was granted bail on a sum of D100,000, provided that he could provide a Gambian surety who must depose an affidavit of the means in the same amount. Additionally, Jagne must attend every court sitting and remain present until the judgment is rendered.

By Alieu Jallow

In the ongoing Sukuta Jabang Police shooting incident, the defense counsel for the first accused person, Ousajnou Bojang, in his cross-examination of the prosecution witness 6, Ebou Sowe of the Police anti-crime unit, stated that the empty recovered cartridges were never handed to him but to Mr. Bah. This claim was opposed by the witness, noting that it could be Bojang’s mistake, as Bojang, a member of the Gambia Armed Forces who was also a witness to the case, was the one handed the materials.

Counsel J. Darboe continued to argue that neither Sowe, Bojang, nor Jallow were on the ground, so there was nothing possible to hand them the materials. In response, Sowe disputed the fact that these are people whom he doesn’t work with or socialize but only met them at the scenes.

Sowe further told the court that he handed the empty cartridges to the forensic team the next day.

“Are you telling us the forensic team was not present at the scene that day?” Defense counsel questioned.

“I didn’t say that, but I was instructed to hand it over to the forensic team by my unit officer,” PW 6 responded, a statement that defense counsel opposed, arguing that the unit commissioner was not present at this point. Sowe responded that he couldn’t recall the forensic team as he has less to do with them. He declared he handed over the cartridges, which was a continued process from Police to Police and didn’t record it in his diary.

“Yes, that’s what I am telling that I met this police officer at the crime scenes.”

PW 6 further informed the court he received only two cartridges but saw the third with the CRO team the following day, 13th September 2023, with one Manka.

“I put to you that on 18th December 2023, two empty cases or cartridges were handed over to you, is that correct?” “Yes, that is correct.”

“On 18th March 2024, you said three empty cartridges were handed to you, is that correct?” “That is not correct.”

PW 6 was also further questioned on the issue of the bullets which he declared not to have come in contact with any but a live round, noting a bullet is a component of a live round. He cited seeing the live rounds from Manka but didn’t pick any.

“What are your normal working hours?” J. Darboe questioned.

“I operate on 24-hour duties and off the subsequent day,” Sowe replied.

“Which shift were you on the 12th of September 2023?” He responded that he was on duty the very day of the incident and closed the next day. He further told the court that he continued his shift due to the incident.

“You told the court that you worked until 5 AM on the 13th of September and went home, is that correct?” “That’s true.”

“Did you not say that you went home at 5 am and returned at 10 am?” Sowe clarified that he left the crime scenes at 5 am and went back to the anti-crime unit on the 13th of September 2023.

The case was adjourned to the 15th of April 2024 for a continuation of cross-examination.

By Mama A. Touray

The principal internal auditor of Brikama Area Council (BAC), Sulayman Barry, has told the ongoing local government commission of inquiry that the council used to spend over D1 million per month on fuel.

During his third day of appearing before the Commission, Barry provided testimony as the fifth witness in the institutional hearing concerning the Brikama Area Council. The audit report indicated, and the witness confirmed, that the council used to spend over one million dalasi on fuel monthly.

When asked if there is a possibility of spending over 12 million on fuel annually, the witness said “yes”.

Barry pointed out that the council had been duplicating payments for fuel transactions in 2023, just like in 2022.

“One of the employees of the Finance Unit was paid over D2000 twice for fuel on the same day when he did not have a vehicle. The Director of Finance, the second Finance Manager of the Council as well as other staff of the Finance Unit of the Council all received double payments for the same day for fuel supply for the same transaction,” he said.

The Commission noted from the audit report that there was a day a sum of D99,000 was spent on fuel in one day, and Barry testified that the allocation of fuel to non-council vehicles was common and that “the fuel supply is at the discretion of the CEO”.

He further testified that within the Brikama Area Council, the former CEO, Modou Jonga, had the veto power to make decisions on various issues, including fuel supply, and determining who would receive fuel. He stated that the CEO would exercise his veto during the Council’s general meetings.

“The CEO is extremely powerful,” the witness said. He added that the Council has a “budget line” for fuel, but they do not cater for the non-council vehicles, adding that BAC supplies fuel twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays).

“What the Council spends on fuel is exorbitant. The amount of money used to supply the Council fuel was exorbitant. These purchases are unjustifiable,” he said.

He further said the Council has about twelve (12) vehicles and some of the trucks were not working and most of the time the council overspends.

The audit report also revealed that a sum of D11,350 was spent on medical expenses without any medical support scheme and the beneficiaries included the CEO, Finance Director and other revenue collectors.

The Council also made another payment of D1,50,OOO without having payment receipts. The witness said this act is a common practice at the council.

On the accounting system in place at BAC, Barry said the system was tailor-made to suit the desire of the Finance Director. He explained that the Internal Audit Unit has limited access to the system.

He said in many entities the user rights are controlled by the IT Unit, but for BAC, the Director of Finance controls and limits people’s access to the data in the Matrix System.

“Most of us do not have full access to the system,” the witness said.

He said this was why they were not able to have the time to scrutinise salary payments and it was the reason why they were not able to know whether there were ghost workers in the Council. He testified that the Director of Finance used to pay himself the highest allowances and he pays other people allowances as he desires.

“The Matrix System was tailor-made to suit the control and direction of the Director of Finance,” the witness said.

The Commission further noted the payment of 1.1 million dalasi without payment vouchers. The witness said the Director of Finance and the CEO used to sign cheques for payments, but they do not sign the payment vouchers to justify the payments they make.

By: Zackline Colley

In a distressing plight for repatriation, a 23-year-old woman, whose name will be omitted, originally from Nigeria, finds herself stranded in The Gambia after being lured under false pretenses by a family acquaintance she referred to as an aunt. Promised a lucrative job opportunity, she instead became ensnared in a harrowing tale of human trafficking.

She recounts her ordeal, revealing that she narrowly escaped a kidnapping attempt in Lagos, only to find herself deceived once again upon her arrival in The Gambia. Initially informed of employment prospects at a local bar, she soon discovered the grim reality of her situation when coerced into prostitution by her alleged benefactor.

Desperate to return home and unwilling to engage in such illicit activities, she pleaded with the woman who brought her to The Gambia, only to be met with demands for a staggering sum of D250,000 allegedly spent on her transport. With no means to pay, she reluctantly succumbed to the exploitative circumstances.

Compounding her predicament, she found herself entangled in a fraught relationship with a police officer, whom she claims is the father of her unborn child. However, the officer vehemently denied paternity, casting doubt on the legitimacy of her pregnancy due to her line of work and leaving her emotionally and financially adrift.

With the due date fast approaching in May, her desperation has intensified. Her parents back in Nigeria, aware of her dire situation, have implored her to return home. However, abandoned by her purported guardian, she finds herself devoid of resources or support in The Gambia, seeking refuge at a shelter.

Now, with the hope of soliciting assistance to facilitate her journey home, she appeals to the public for aid in her repatriation efforts. Her harrowing tale serves as a stark reminder of the pervasive scourge of human trafficking and the vulnerable individuals ensnared within its web.

As she awaits the arrival of her child, her fervent plea for assistance echoes across borders, underscoring the urgent need for collective action to combat the insidious phenomenon of modern-day slavery.

By Mama A. Touray

The Brikama Area Council’s (BAC) principal internal auditor, Sulayman Barry, has informed the Local Government Commission that revenue collectors suppressed D864,500 of council funds in 2023.

The audit report recommended the management of BAC to take steps to recover the said sum, however, Barry said there is still no evidence of the recovery of the said sum.

When asked if the collectors were informed about this, Barry said: “All of them were informed about the revenue suppression and they know about it”.

Continuing his testimony at the commission, he further cited transactions the council made that flouted procurement rules.

“There were no purchase orders, no approval of the CEO and the Director of Finance, no vouchers, and they did not pass through the Internal Audit for pre-auditing before making the payments.

“One of the transactions was a D92,915 payment made to GNPC. In that transaction, the CEO did not approve the invoice, the purchase order was not signed by the Director of Finance and many other irregularities,” he explained.

When asked how that happened, the witness said the Director of Finance would be in a better position to explain that.

According to the audit report, BAC made another transaction on 14th April 2022 where they bought office furniture worth D75,000. However, the witness testified that this transaction did not follow due process. They noted that the only documentation available in the file for the purchase of the furniture was an incomplete voucher.

“Failure to adhere to the rules is a very serious violation. It increases the risk of inflating the price [of goods]. Also, if you buy from one supplier you might not get the best market price. Also, buying from one supplier might mean the person has a favourite supplier to get kickbacks,” he said.

On the D499,500 spent on disaster relief in 2022 by the council, Barry explained that there was no quotation and documents, and the management of the Council has still not responded to the audit finding and further mentioned some of the transactions in which payments were made without supporting documents.

Another revelation in the audit report for the first quarter of 2022 was that there were duplicated, or double payments made for single transactions. Barry testified that those payments were made without payment receipts.

He gave a list of some of those transactions and informed the Commission that it could be more than that.

The report further revealed that BAC made a payment of D82,167.52 on March 28th, 2022. However, on March 30th, 2022, the Council paid D65,734 for the same transaction. The report pointed out that the invoice for the first transaction was photocopied and used to make payment for the second transaction.

Again, when asked who approved the second transaction, Barry responded that the Director of Finance should be in a better position to answer that question.

By Mariama Cham

Women gardeners in Kuwonkuba village in the Upper River Region have taken a rare move to set a fine of D500 for anyone who quarrels or fights in the garden.

This regulation, the women unambiguously said, is meant to maintain peace and harmony among the local women in the garden.

As part of their sustainability programs, the Kuwonkoba Women Garden gardeners instituted the regulation that prohibits all forms of violence at the site.

Abba Darboe, one of the elderly women in the garden emphasised that the move is aimed at bringing peace and unity among women in the garden.

“We want unity. Anything that we do, if we are united, we will get what we want. This is why we all agreed to be united to change our community in a better way, to have a better life,” she explained.

Abba went on to narrate that in the past, two women flouted the said rule but paid the price.

“Two women once quarrelled here (in the garden). They were asked to pay D500 each as agreed. Since we have no quarrels here. The garden is now peaceful, and everyone works hard to earn a living here,” she narrated.

In the garden, the women are provided with seeds and other necessary inputs. They grow a variety of vegetables such as cassava, pepper, Irish potato, bitter tomato, sorrel, and many other vegetables.

The five-hectare garden is provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization office in The Gambia as a support to women, especially breadwinners to be able to provide for their families and create self-employment opportunities for them. The garden has an irrigation system and a perimeter fence.

Over 400 women cultivate crops in the garden. Some of them use their produce at home to prepare meals for the family, while the rest of the garden produce is taken to the weekly open-market (Lumo) for sale.

By Mama A. Touray

Sulayman Barry, the Principal Internal Auditor at the Brikama Area Council (BAC), who was the fifth witness to testify at the institutional hearing focused on the Brikama Area Council, has revealed to the ongoing local government commission of inquiry that the council has a chronic practice of making payments without preparing vouchers.

The witness made this revelation on Thursday while testifying on the first quarter Audit Report prepared by the Internal Audit Unit BAC.

The report revealed that there were payment vouchers that were left incomplete, and according to a witness, this is a recurring issue in the Brikama Area Council, where payments are made without preparing or issuing the vouchers.

Barry explained to the Commission that some payments were made, but the payment vouchers were numbered randomly. He further clarified that payment vouchers should have sequential numbers, but the BAC finance unit used to assign random numbers to the vouchers.

Barry further disclosed that in most cases, the Council would make payments first and then prepare the vouchers after the transaction had already taken place.

“The proper procedure is that the Council should prepare the payment vouchers and sign them before making the payments. The vouchers should pass through the Internal Audit Unit for pre-auditing to ensure that due process is followed. For the Brikama Area Council, they used to make payments this month and then raise the vouchers next month to cover the expenses,” the witness said.

According to him, the Brikama Area Council does not comply with the legal due process, which results in payments being made for fraudulent transactions.

“Every payment should be supported by evidence and must follow the laid down procedures, if the procedure is flouted then the payment might not be genuine and susceptible to fraud,” he added.

Meanwhile, page 8 of the audit report revealed a list of revenue collectors who collected revenue and failed to deposit the amounts in the BAC account.

Reacting to this finding, Auditor Barry told the commission that there were so many incidents of revenue suppression and that he had informed the management of the council of the audit findings and recommended steps to be taken to address the audit queries.

When asked about the management, he said it comprised former Chairman Sheriffo Sonko, former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Modou Jonga, and former Director of Finance Alagie Jagne.

Barry said the affected revenue collectors were informed about the audit findings concerning their conduct of suppressing the council’s revenue.

One of the collectors flagged by the audit report was Buba Jabang, who was said to have collected the monthly rental fees from the canteens in the market. It was revealed that in 2022, Buba collected over D400,000 and deposited only D244,000.

Another collector Bakary Drammeh withheld the sum of D37,000, while Sulayman Tamba did not deposit over D7000.

When asked whether the revenues were repaid, the witness said he could not tell because there was no evidence of the repayments made.

By: Dawda Baldeh

The Drug Law Enforcement Agency of The Gambia (DLEAG) between January and December 2023 seized nine firearms including seven pistols, one hunting gun, and a rubber bullet pistol, leading to the apprehension of individuals who were found to own firearms without a license, proper authorization, or documentation.

The cases of these people were handed over to The Gambia Police Force (GPF) for further processing and necessary actions.

The cumulative total of rounds seized equates to one hundred and fifty-three (153) live rounds, three (3) shell casings, and four (4) rubber bullets.

Detailed below is a list of cases registered by the Agency for the said reporting period.

• DLEAG operatives stationed at the Giborro border post apprehended a Senegalese National in the person of Mame Ousman Niang of Thies with an MOD 85 automatic pistol and seventeen (17) live rounds.

He was travelling from Kombo Gunjur where he owns a compound to Abene village in Cassamance and he was with his wife and three (3) children. The incident happened on the 1st of January 2023.

• DLEAG and JAITF operatives stationed at the Airport arrested one Benjamin Da Silva, a Bissau Guinean / Portuguese national who was travelling with Royal Air Maroc with a hunting gun bearing serial number cal. 5.50 (0.22) 90-G22HT-005865 made in Turkiya.

The suspect who owns a compound in Giborro in The Gambia claimed that he uses the gun for hunting. The incident happened on the 4th of March 2023.

• The special operations squad arrested one Baba J. Susso with one (1) block of cocaine, a rubber gun four (4) rubber bullets, a taser gun, and a knife.

The suspect fired rubber bullets at the team leader who sustained minor injury.

The said incident happened on the 24th of August 2023 around the Coastal Road Highway.

• One Yankuba Gassama of Banjul was arrested with five (5) rounds of 8mml calibre EKOL- TUNA PISTOL, five (5) live rounds, and some quantities of cannabis sativa. The serial number of the said pistol is ET-1040033.

The incident occurred on the 16th of September 2023.

• DLEAG operatives stationed at Giboro arrested a pistol from one Mustapha Badjie, an ex-Gendamerie Officer who now works in a night club in Dakar.

The suspect is from a village called Balingo in Cassamance.

• DLEAG and (Joint Airport Interdiction Task Force (JAITF) operatives stationed at the Banjul International Airport apprehended one Buba Bojang, a Gambian/American National with a new pistol and one hundred (100) live rounds.

The suspect is a native of Brufut travelling with SN Brussels airline.

• DLEAG and JAITF operatives stationed at BIA arrested one Antoine Francois Cornette De Saint Cyr a French National on the 28th of January 2023 with eight (8) live rounds and three (3) shell casings that he claims he uses for hunting.

During interrogation, he claimed that his friends placed the rounds in his bag without his notice.

He was scheduled to travel to France with SN Brussels.

• DLEAG operatives stationed at the Airport intercepted an American citizen with an empty pistol that was registered in the USA but not The Gambia.

The suspect during interrogation confessed to owning the pistol and the bag in which it was found but not the box said to be containing firearms and ammunition by Tap Portugal.

• A Joint investigation team discovered a pistol and twenty-three (23) live rounds at the compound of one Ndeneh Musa Faal at Bijilo on the 4th of September 2023.

The matter was handed over to GPF for prosecution and he was convicted and fined D 50,000.00 while the pistol and rounds were handed over to the Police Intervention Unit.

• DLEAG operatives stationed at the Amdalai border post arrested a Senegalese National with twenty pills of ecstasy, a pistol, and four live rounds.

The said incident happened on the 9th of October 2023.

In addition to these seizures of firearms, DLEAG also arrested 623 suspects for drug trafficking in 2023.

By: Mama A. Touray

Sulayman Barry, the Principal Internal Auditor of Brikama Area Council, informed the LG Commission that the council does not maintain an up-to-date fixed asset register where all capital assets should be listed with their values.

Barry mentioned that the council’s assets cannot be accurately ascertained, and when asked if he had ever seen the asset register, he replied no.

When questioned about whether the council now has an asset register, he stated that it is not within his knowledge. He also informed the commission that some staff files have not been updated, noting that each file should include an application letter, national identity card, certificate of character from the police, and other credentials.

Barry referred to the audit report concerning affected staff names, indicating that the BAC’s establishment register was not updated. Despite management’s assurance to rectify the issue, no action was taken.

However, Barry testified that an amount of D32,922.82 was disbursed and paid as salaries over the counter to council staff, but the recipients did not sign the vouchers. He added that they could not confirm whether those individuals received the money.

The witness noted inconsistencies in the payrolls, with some individuals underpaid and others overpaid. He explained that payments were supposed to align with salary grading but revealed instances where junior laborers were paid more than their superiors.

In 2020, there was an issue of unaccounted proceeds from the council’s sales totaling D24,000. Although the council generated D60,000 from bid sales, only D36,000 was remitted to the Gambia Public Procurement Authority (GPPA), leaving D24,000 unaccounted for.

Regarding a loan he obtained from the council, Barry stated that he applied for D450,000 but was given D350,000. He also acknowledged contracting loans from the Area Council in amounts of D150,000 and D175,000.

When asked about the functions of the Internal Audit Unit, Barry explained that it is responsible for vetting and monitoring the financial transactions (inflows and outflows) of council revenues to ensure compliance with rules and regulations. Additionally, they are tasked with providing quarterly reports to the accounts and audit committee of the Council.

By: Mama A. Touray

The claims made by some Brikama Area Council revenue collectors, who expressed surprise at the amounts mentioned by auditors as shortages, were dismissed on Tuesday by Sulayman Barry, the principal internal auditor at the Brikama Area Council.

Barry made this dismissal on his first day appearing before the ongoing local government commission of inquiry, stating that the collectors were all informed about the audit findings. At this point, Barry was given the cash book of one of the collectors, Bakary Drammeh, to examine, and he told the commission that Bakary’s claim of being cleared by the Internal Audit Unit was false.

Bakary Drammeh had earlier testified before the Commission that he was cleared by the audit unit regarding some accounted revenue of the Council, but the Principal Internal Auditor dismissed this claim and labeled it as “false.”

Barry continued, mentioning that they monitor the collectors from devices in the IT Unit and can track how much each collector collects.

However, Sulayman cited an incident of interference in his work by the former Chairman of BAC, Sheriffo Sonko, in 2020, asking him to stop the special audit exercise he was conducting.

He said he proceeded with the special exercise, auditing revenue collectors, including Alieu Sanneh, who was found to have shortages. Barry added that Alieu Sanneh came to him with the information that the then Chairman was his uncle.

Barry said Alieu Sanneh then informed him that he had used the money for the treatment of his leg. The witness said he continued with his probing into the Council’s funds, and when former Chairman Sheriffo Sonko came to him asking him to stop because Alieu Sanneh was “dangerous” (meaning he could use harmful means to silence him [the witness]), Barry continued with his inquiry and drafted a report for Alieu Sanneh to respond to the audit queries.

“This was when Alieu Sanneh wrote to the Council with the complaint that he was being targeted.”

“As a result, it triggered the Council to task the Establishment Committee to inquire into the matter, and in the end, the Committee came up with a report stating that they could not confirm Alieu Sanneh’s claims. The Directorate of Internal Audit (DOI) under the Ministry of Finance conducted their findings and audits,” he informed the commission.

He further informed the commission that “Alieu Sanneh has not worked in the Council since 2020 but is still receiving his salary every month until now. He is not working, but he is still receiving his salary.