By: Mama A. Touray
Sulayman Barry, the internal auditor at the Brikama Area Council, testified before the local government commission of inquiry that the former chairman of the Brikama Area Council, Sheriffo Sonko, neglected his duties to the council.
“We had a Chairman who neglected his duties to the Council and joined the CEO and the Finance Director in their actions. If you want to break up that group, be careful, or you might be neutralized,” Barry said.
Barry made these statements while testifying about the audit report, accusing the CEO of failing to implement the recommendations outlined in it.
When asked why he did not provide the report to the Council, given that he was answerable to them, Sulayman Barry stated that he lacked confidence in the Brikama Area Council under the leadership of former Chairman Sheriffo Sonko.
He added, “Ex-Chairman Sonko was behind some of the Council’s staff challenging the audit unit.”
Barry testified that the Council was weak and not functioning as required. “The Council often went for about five months without holding any monthly meetings, as mandated by law, and the Council’s committees, including the finance sub-committee, were weak and nonfunctional,” he alleged.
