By: Mama A. Touray
Bakary Drammeh, a revenue collector from Brikama Area Council and the fourth witness from BAC to testify before the Ongoing Local Government Commission of Inquiry, admitted to making underpayments of the revenues he collected.
Jammeh made this admission today while giving his testimony before the commission.
The witness admitted before the Commission that he made certain underpayments of the revenues he collected, stating that most of the shortages went to fares they used to pay.
At this point, Counsel Gomez told the witness, “That does not explain why you embezzle council funds,” and he responded, “I know that it is not right.”
The Commission noted that the witness did not deposit One Hundred and Eight Thousand Eight Hundred Dalasi, but the witness said he went back to the audit unit of the BAC and did reconciliation with one auditor, Amadou Jobarteh.
He added that this was when they found out that the money was Six Thousand Dalasi (D6,000) instead of the D108,800.
“This is how you people do to clear your wrongs in the eleventh hour,” Counsel Gomez told the witness.
Bakary testified that in 2022, he was informed by one of the auditors that he entered some figures in his cash book, but he did not deposit the money. He added that he deposited the money in 2023.
Gomez asked him why he would keep council funds with him for a year without depositing; he responded that “It was my fault. It was family pressure, to be frank”.
“Counsel, we at the Area Councils only have the benefit of a salary,” the witness said, and Gomez told him if that should warrant him to steal, and he replied in the negative.
Jammeh informed the commission that he had paid his D6,000 shortage into the Council’s account.
Gomez, however, pointed out that the internal audit cleared the witness for February 2022. He told the witness that the collection being queried was from the 1st of April 2022 to July 2022 amounting to D315,000, and he testified that he was also cleared for the D315,000.
Counsel Gomez asked the witness to read from his own cash book all the collections he made from April to July 2022. In April 2022, he collected D18,400, D16,800, D5000, and D3200. In May 2022, he collected D7,200, D6,000, D20,000, and D6,000. In June 2022, he collected D8,400, D14,800, D10,600, D11,000, D17,200, and D26,000. In July 2022, he collected D26,000, D28,200, and D14,800.
“You still haven’t reached D300,000. How were you cleared?” Counsel Patrick Gomez asked, “I never heard this from the auditors,” the witness answered.
When asked if he was cleared by the auditor, Jammeh responded affirmatively, and Gomez pressed him to show the evidence. That was when he changed his statement, stating that he was not cleared by the auditors.
He will reappear on the 19th of March 2024 to continue with his testimony.
