Africa-Press – Gambia. The Local Government Commission of Inquiry on Thursday continued hearings into the management of the D33,713,176.01 geology fund allocated to the Brikama Area Council (BAC) for distribution to mining-affected communities.
Former BAC Chairman Sheriffo Sonko and ex-Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Modou Jonga reappeared before the commission to clarify their roles in the handling of the fund.
Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez reminded Sonko that he had earlier testified that he was unaware of any withdrawals made from the geology fund. Sonko reaffirmed that position.
When asked about his authority over expenditures, Jonga said the chairman was sometimes informed of payments before they were made, but not in every case. He added that requests from communities were usually channeled through the chairman’s office—a point Sonko confirmed.
“CEO Jonga, the chairman said he was never aware of the withdrawals relating to the geology fund,” Counsel Gomez pressed.
Jonga responded that once the council received the geology fund, he had informed the general council during one of its sittings. Counsel Gomez then asked him to provide the minutes of that meeting.
According to Jonga, the council directed affected wards to submit proposals through the chairman’s office so their intended projects could be reviewed. However, Counsel Gomez pointed out that evidence before the commission shows that only D3,818,520 of the D33 million was disbursed to communities.
Jonga disputed this figure, claiming that a second disbursement took place in 2023, after Sonko’s departure as chairman. He told the commission that the total amount released to communities was D11,872,404.97. Counsel Gomez requested documentary evidence to support this claim.
Jonga admitted that part of the fund was instead used to cover BAC’s negative account balances. “It was wrong to spend the funds on projects that are out of the scope of the funds,” he conceded.
Asked whether Sonko was aware of this, Jonga said disbursements were typically conducted during public ceremonies attended by the chairman.
Counsel Gomez further pressed, “Why were you using this fund to pay up your debt at the bank? You had a negative balance at Vista Bank in several instances. Why were you using the account to offset your loans or overdraft at the bank?”
Jonga admitted to financial mismanagement. “It was not international; I would say it is poor management of the account because the account should have been a special account for the geology fund, and that did not happen,” he said.
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