Africa-Press – Gambia. During testimony before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry on Thursday, Banjul City Council Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe accused former Finance Director Momodou Camara of improperly granting himself loans totaling over one million Dalasi without her knowledge and mismanaging council finances.
Mayor Lowe explained that both the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Finance Director hold significant power within the council, which can undermine the mayor’s authority. She noted, “If they want to frustrate the efforts of the mayor, that will not take them anything, but they can do many things without the knowledge of the mayor.”
According to the mayor, the former Finance Director routinely approved personal loans to himself, a fact she only learned during the commission’s proceedings.
“The finance director loans himself money up to a million Dalasi; when he was leaving Banjul City council, he left with almost a million Dalasi. We still did not recover the money from him,” she stated.
When asked by Lead Counsel Gomez whom she holds accountable—the council’s leadership or the Finance Director—Mayor Lowe acknowledged that she became aware of these issues within the past year. Gomez highlighted that such gaps in oversight indicate administrative weaknesses, stressing the need for proper checks and balances.
In response, Mayor Lowe testified that: “The CEO only provides me with what he wants me to know. If he does not want me to know anything, I won’t know it.”
Lead Counsel Gomez emphasized the extensive authority held by council executives, stating, “The power that the council has is unlimited.”
The mayor demurred, describing the CEO and Finance Director as “In the Banjul City Council, the CEO and the Finance Director are the Alpha and Omega.” Whatever they want will happen,” she said.
Commission Chairperson Jainaba Bah requested that Mayor Lowe submit evidence detailing the loans granted to the former Finance Director and the amount still outstanding.
Mayor Lowe attributed financial mismanagement directly to Mr. Camara, providing documentation showing transactions authorized solely by him without CEO approval. She also accused Camara of appointing personnel and making operational decisions without her consent.
“He used to call people to tell them whether they wanted him to lend them money. I called the CEO and told him that what this man is doing is disturbing us,” she said.
Additionally, the mayor revealed that Camara engaged a company named Sabs to manage revenue collection for the council during her absence and secured a council resolution for this arrangement without her involvement.
Mayor Lowe concluded by noting that all formal requests attributed to her were dictated by the CEO, including the amounts requested.
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