The Local Government Ministry has set out to ‘inspect’ the Kanifing Municipal Council amid claims of fraud and corruption at the council.
KMC has in the past days been gripped by reputational crisis after the Mayor of KM Talib Bensouda alleged the chief executive officer of the council illegally took 12 million dalasis and bought a land with the money. He said the Sainabou Martin Sonko’s action was criminal.
Mrs Sainabou Martin Sonko was barred from entering the KMC compound on Wednesday even after the local government ministry asked her to return to work. The decision to suspend the official came by way of a resolution by the council.
The Minister of Local Government Musa Drammeh and KM Mayor Talib Bensouda have been writing each other letters on the issue.
In a letter dated August 2, Mr Drammeh told Mayor Bensouda the local government ministry was concerned that the decision KMC took in interdicting Mrs Martin Sonko was illegal.
Mr Drammeh said his ministry has received a petition from Mrs Martin Sonko and other officials of the council alleging fraud against the former deputy Mayor and a cover-up of the fraud. He had earlier informed the Mayor his ministry has called for an inspection of KMC which would ‘commence immediately’.
The Mayor in his own letter dated August 3, fired back by telling the minister ‘we do not agree with your position that the council is usurping the power of the Local Government Service Commission or it has made a decision without authority’.
