Africa-Press – Gambia. The Local Government Commission of Inquiry has questioned Foday Danjo, former Chairman of the Basse Area Council, over the deposit of more than D6 million of council funds into the personal business account of then Finance Director, Lamin Susso.
According to the 2020–2022 Internal Audit Report, Susso unlawfully deposited D6,481,061 of council revenue into his business account, “Allahtentu.” The report states that the deposits were made by council staff.
Danjo told the commission he only became aware of the transactions during a system audit, adding that without it, the council would not have discovered the matter. When asked by Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez what action the council took, Danjo said the matter was referred to the Ministry of Local Government, as the council lacked authority to discipline or dismiss staff.
“We informed the ministry because we don’t have the right to discipline the staff or sack a staff. So the only thing we can do is to involve the ministry,” Danjo said. Counsel Gomez requested copies of this correspondence.
Chairman Danjo said the council submitted both the audit report and a general council resolution on Susso’s case to the Ministry of Local Government. According to him, the general consensus was that Susso’s actions were unlawful and that he should repay the misappropriated funds. Counsel Gomez then requested that Danjo provide the commission with copies of this correspondence.
Turning to another matter, Counsel Gomez informed Danjo that the council had substantial overdraft balances in its Vista Bank and Trust Bank accounts during the same period when Susso’s personal account held significant sums. The overdrafts, Gomez noted, totaled D2,430,792.32.
Danjo explained that the council resorted to overdrafts to address salary shortfalls. However, Gomez pointed out that the transactions were carried out without the necessary clearance or approval from the ministry. Danjo acknowledged the absence of ministry approval but said the general council had deliberated on the matter and authorized management to proceed.
“First when I came there in 2018 I found two million overdraft at the trust bank and we paid that. Like I said in my statement when we send requests to the ministry it is never honored, so we discuss it at the council level and when we agree we instruct the management to contract overdraft for us,” he stated.
Counsel Gomez reminded Danjo that the law requires ministry approval for overdrafts. Danjo acknowledged the requirement but argued that the council proceeded without it because the ministry had rejected their requests.
He maintained that the overdrafts were necessary to address urgent council needs, claiming that a single individual at the ministry was blocking their efforts.
Gomez suggested the rejections were due to the council’s financial mismanagement, but Danjo disagreed, insisting the minister’s decisions were unrelated to mismanagement.
“But the time you were asking for an overdraft is because you don’t have money in your account that is just common sense. So that means there were problems with your accounts. So there was mismanagement because you were applying for loans anyhow,” counsel Gomez put to him.
Danjo disagreed, insisting that the revenue collected was insufficient to fund the council’s activities.
Gomez countered that the shortfall stemmed from poor accounting practices, which left the council unable to account for the funds it collected.
“You are telling people you don’t have adequate revenue when you can’t even tell the people how much you collect from them,” Counsel Gomez said.
Danjo acknowledged instances of mismanagement but insisted that the council’s revenue was insufficient to meet its operational needs. “But it would be able to serve you properly if it were managed properly,” Counsel Gomez said.
Danjo clarified to the commission that the Basse Area Council does not appoint its Finance Director, stating that the position is filled by the Local Government Service Commission. He alleged that the Service Commission was aware of Lamin Susso’s record and the concerns surrounding his tenure as Finance Manager at Brikama Area Council, yet still appointed him to the same role in Basse.
When Counsel Gomez asked why he did not issue a formal query after realizing Susso’s incompetence, Danjo responded that, to the best of his recollection, the Chief Executive Officer had done so. He was then instructed to provide the commission with a copy of this correspondence.
For More News And Analysis About Gambia Follow Africa-Press
