By Mama A. Touray

The acting value property manager of the Brikama Area Council, Mustapha Joof, on Monday, denied allegations of suppressing council funds when he was a revenue collector.

It was noted from the Council’s internal audit unit in 2020 that Mustapha Joof suppressed the council fund amounting to D248,421.89.

Reacting to this audit finding before the ongoing Local Government Commission of Inquiry, Mustapha said: “I disputed this [allegedly suppressing council funds] because I don’t condone cash suppression”.

He added that this money was audited by the internal auditors and received by the principal cashier.

Upon being informed of the audit findings, he denied the allegations, stating that he had deposited his collections. However, the lodgement roll, a record of revenue collectors who come for weekly reconciliation at the Internal Audit Unit, showed that Joof does not attend these reconciliations.

Joof provided his cash book for 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 on valued properties. It was tendered and admitted in evidence. He was asked to provide the other cash book containing information about his collections after this period which he promised to bring.

He stated that he is a resident of Brikama Kabifita and that he started working at Brikama Area Council on 31st March 2009 as a revenue collector. His written statement dated 8th November 2023 was shown to him and he confirmed it to be the statement he gave the investigators. The statement was admitted in evidence by the Commission.

Joof said his unit is responsible for coordinating and supervising value property rates collectors to ensure that revenues are collected and deposited in the BAC accounts by collectors.

On his responsibility as the manager, he said he is responsible for ensuring that collectors bank all their revenue collections in the BAC accounts and do reconciliation every Thursday with the Internal Audit Unit by tendering their bank slips for verification.

In 2018, Joof said he was posted in Bijilo as a value property collected and he was promoted as the Acting Value Property Manager on 1st July 2021. He said he has fourteen (14) collectors under him.

By: Dawda Baldeh

Gambian business tycoon Hamidou Jah, the owner of Jah Oil Company Limited, has stated that investing in agriculture is the only solution to ongoing food shortages and unemployment in the country.

He unveiled plans for investing massively in modernizing agriculture across the country.

“The world is facing global challenges due to climate change, and the only way we can address food shortages is through going back to the farm,” he told journalists at his office in Brikama.

He said the population is growing rapidly while farming is declining.

Jah stressed that many places where rice cultivation used to take place are now occupied by people.

“India is the largest rice producer, but today, if you want to have enough rice, the government must intervene.

The rice cultivated in India is for business purposes, not for domestic consumption.

Each year, they cultivate eight million tons of rice, and all that rice is exported to different countries,” he narrated.

He told journalists that his vision is to have a farm in every part of the country to cultivate rice and other crops.

According to him, investing in farming will help the country feed itself and export to generate income.

“Even the unemployment we are all talking about can only be addressed through modern farming where young people will be employed.

The government cannot employ everyone, and if we take agriculture seriously, every Gambian will be employed, and we will not need to seek employees from outside,” he added.

The seasoned business tycoon revealed that he had previously toured many countries trying to explore means to import more basic food commodities to help fellow citizens acquire them at a more sustainable price, but the world is facing a similar problem.

He stressed that the lands in India are similar to those in The Gambia, and if we invest in farming, we can achieve what India is doing.

“If people work hard, I’m not saying rice won’t be imported into the country, but it will be reduced drastically, and the price will also reduce,” he reiterated.

He noted that rice is the main consumable food in The Gambia.

By Mama A. Touray

After the Commission observed that she conducts revenue collection without the standard procedure of submission and reconciliation within the council, revenue collector Jainaba Cham on Monday told the Local Government Commission that the device she uses for revenue collection at the Brikama Area Council is prone to errors, often entering incorrect figures.

Cham made this testimony when she was questioned about the cash book she provided to the commission, which covered her collection from 2021 to date for rates and taxes.

It was noted from the cash book that the witness does revenue collections without going for submission and reconciliation in the Council.

“You made collection between 28th September 2022 and 5th October 2022, but you did not go for submission and reconciliation,” Counsel Gomez told the witness.

She responded: “I see it. If I don’t have anything to submit, I don’t go for submission”.

Counsel Gomez replied: “But the amount is there. Remember, this was a time you were using the revenue collection devices, and the records are there for the collections you make”.

She replied that the revenue collection device she was using used to make mistakes and input figures that were wrong, and Gomez informed her that the machine would indicate the date, time and the person whom she made the collections from.

Cham admitted that the machines are difficult to use.

Chairperson Jainaba Cham also noted from the cash book provided by the witness that there were no collections in February, March, August, September, and October and asked Cham where the collections were.

Responding to this, Cham told the commission that she took her annual leave in February 2023 and left Dawda Njie, who was a valued property collector for the BAC to do collection on her behalf and deposit in the account in her name.

Chairperson Bah asked the witness the whereabouts of the money collected in February and March, and she responded that she did not know how that happened.

Jainaba Cham is a resident of Pipeline and a rates and taxes collector. The 55-year-old began working in the Council in 2001. She has been collecting revenue in Kerr Serign for nine (9) years.

On how she does her job, Jainaba Cham explained that she begins her job with an assessment, after which she issues invoices with a one-week payment deadline. She then starts the collection process.

Cham will appear before the commission once again to present her old cash book from 2018 to 2020 and to answer further questions related to the shortages discovered.

By: Alieu Jallow

Arona Tine, a Senegalese national who is the alleged killer of Fatoumatta Kargbo, a former staff member of HM bureau at West Field, appeared before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh of the Banjul High Court on Tuesday, 26th March 2024, to inform the court of his inability to secure legal representation in his murder charge battle.

Tine is charged with murder contrary to section 187 of the Criminal Procedure Code, Cap 10 Vol. 3 of the Revised Laws of The Gambia. In his ruling, Justice Jaiteh stated that the case could not proceed without a legal representative, as the charges levied against him are capital offences. Therefore, he ordered the state to provide him with a legal representative.

Arona Tine’s particular offense is that on or about 19th January 2024, at West Field in the Kanifing Municipality of The Gambia and within the jurisdiction of the High Court, he stabbed Fatoumatta Kargbo with a knife, causing her death and thereby committing an offense. Meanwhile, he will be remanded at Mile 2 Central Prison.

The case is adjourned to 22nd April at 1:30 PM for plea-taking.

By: Alieu Jallow

In the ongoing D11 million theft involving the three senior government officials of the Ministry of Health, PW 4 Muhammed Sissoko, a businessman, has acknowledged cashing cheques amounting to D95,000 from the late Lamin Jarju, Deputy Program Manager at the National Malaria Control Program.

Mr. Sissoko told the court that the Police Fraud Squad informed him that the five cheques received and cashed amounted to D95,000, which he was asked to repay. These transactions, according to him, happened between 2019 and 2022.

PW 4, in his testimony, recalled embarking on a trip to Basse with the late Lamin Jarju, where they made a brief stop at Sibanor Health Centre. He spent a minimum of 30 minutes on both occasions, and upon their return, he was given two cheques but cannot remember the dates when he cashed them out.

“I cashed both cheques on two different dates, and I was given D20,000 each from these cheques, with each of them worth D500,000,” Sissoko outlined.

In 2023, Mr. Sissoko told the court that he was invited by the Fraud Squad of the Gambia Police Force for questioning regarding the cheques he had withdrawn, where he affirmed to the police of withdrawing the cheques.

Accordingly, he said the investigation took time, but while with the Fraud Squad, he was shown documents indicating signing contracts, payment vouchers, and a copy of his CV. He was questioned whether he signed any contract with HEPDO, an assertion he opposed, noting he never signed any contract with the said institution.

Similarly, a CV bearing his details and payment vouchers indicating receipt were also tendered to him, something he opposed, stressing it was not his CV and he never signed any payment voucher.

Furthermore, he was shown a written report indicating he wrote that and submitted it, which he told the Fraud Squad he never did. At this point, he told the court that he didn’t study or know anything about malaria, so he had no idea about the report.

“I don’t know HEPDO and have never been to the place; it was at the police station I knew about them,” Sissoko stressed.

The case is adjourned to 15th April 2024 for cross-examination.

By: Dawda Baldeh

Influential Female Entrepreneurs in Gambia’s Capital, Banjul, have called on the country’s youths to acquire skills for them to gain economic freedom amidst unemployment as not everyone can be employed by the government. They were recently speaking to young people recruited by the Banjul City Council under the Youths Voluntarism Project to undergo various skills training programs within and outside the country.

Maimuna Jahateh, the Founder of ‘Maiyamuna Skin & Hair Care,’ acknowledged that the country has a lot of talented young people who only lack mentoring and motivation to realize their potential. In 2017, she started her Skin & Hair Dressing program after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology in India. Fast-forward, ‘Maiyamuna Skin & Hair Care’ is now a household name inspiring many young people, especially females, to venture into skin and hair dressing programs.

The influential skin and hairdresser narrated that she abandoned her full-time employment to focus on her business, which is earning her more income today. “Entrepreneurship gives you freedom, and success is doing what you love,” she said, urging young people to embrace continuous learning to upgrade themselves to continue competing in the fast-growing market. “Don’t be afraid that many people are doing what you are doing; you can be different by doing things differently, and that will make you stand out,” she added.

Ida Saine, the founder of ‘Ida’s Idea,’ whose achievement cannot be substituted for anything in the Gambian business industry, emphasized the significance of skills in nation-building. With over three decades of doing business, Ida Saine was among the first Gambian women to sell African-made clothes in Europe. Her long-term dream of opening a professional fashion design school in the Gambia came to reality in 2018. Today, Ida Saine Conteh trains youths, especially girls, to have a profession using the skills through Ida’s Tailoring and Fashion School.

“Skill is very important, and if you learn it well, you cannot be unemployed,” she said, adding that Gambian youths should be encouraged to learn skills. They all share their personal stories to inspire and motivate the youths in pursuit of new opportunities such as skills training.

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.