Africa-Press – Gambia. Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda of the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) has testified before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry regarding a contract awarded to LionWorks, a company in which his brother, Seedou Bensouda, holds an investment.
Testifying on Tuesday, Mayor Bensouda explained that in early 2019, then-KMC Chief Executive Officer Jaja Cham initiated a beautification project to improve turntables and roundabouts across the municipality.
He recalled that he first became aware of LionWorks’ involvement when he noticed the slabs being installed looked familiar. Upon inquiry, CEO Cham confirmed they came from LionWorks.
“I informed him I don’t think it is a good idea because my brother has an investment in the company, and everybody knows that it is my policy that I don’t want anything to do with council with any family-related businesses,” the mayor testified.
He explained that he initially asked the CEO whether it was possible to return the slabs and source them from other vendors, but the CEO declined, noting that the slabs had already been delivered.
The mayor said he then contacted his brother, Seedou, to request a donation of the slabs to the council. However, Seedou informed him that he lacked the operational authority to make such a decision and advised him to speak directly with Raymond, the owner.
According to the mayor, he subsequently reached out to Raymond with the same request.
“He said these are too expensive, that would not be possible, and he has already received payment of one hundred and eighty-eight thousand Dalasi,” the mayor recounted. “So he said what he could do because I explained my policy to him. He said he can donate the rest to the council because if he donates the whole amount, it will be detrimental for him.”
The mayor testified that they reached an agreement and that he instructed Raymond to confirm it in writing. “He did, and I have kept that letter to date. So the rest of the slabs, which were, I think, 1.5 or 2 million Dalasi, was not given to Lion Works; the CEO checked with other companies.”
He explained that the CEO could have proceeded with LionWorks since there was nothing inherently wrong, given that he was not directly involved in the process. However, he said he chose to intervene out of principle.
He then presented a letter to the commission, along with an attached invoice, which was admitted into evidence as an exhibit.
During the proceedings, Counsel Gomez informed Mayor Bensouda that Tanji Drammeh, an employee of LionWorks, had previously testified before the commission but made no mention of any donation.
In response, Mayor Bensouda stated, “Well, I did not talk to Tanji Drammeh. I spoke to Jaja Cham and Raymond. He is a low-level officer at that place; he will not know what was discussed at the high level, but what I can tell you clearly is that I was the one who informed Jaja, and we even had a push and pull because he believed there was nothing wrong with it because he was the CEO who went and got the slabs.”
He further informed the commission that vouchers dated 23rd April 2019 indicated that KMC made a single payment of D188,875, which was the only payment ever made, and that a discount of D170,000 had been applied.
The witness also presented the commission with supporting documentation, including a bank transfer, a purchase order, a requisition form, GPPA Form 101, an invoice dated 8th April 2019, an invoice from KMC, and GPPA Form 004. All of these documents were admitted into evidence.
Counsel Gomez addressed the Mayor, noting that the evidence did not suggest that he halted payments to Loin Works. He referenced testimony from CEO Jaja Cham, who stated before the commission that, after work had commenced, he learned the supplier had a connection to the Mayor and subsequently informed the Planning and Procurement Department that the work could not continue. “What Jaja said is not in line with what the witness said,” Counsel Gomez observed.
The mayor responded, “Madam chair, what Jaja said is in line with what I said. Jaja has no way of knowing that Lionworks is related to my family.”
He further questioned why any businessman would provide goods or services worth 377,000 Dalasi to the council while refusing to accept nearly 200,000 Dalasi to date, suggesting that such an arrangement would make little sense without some form of intervention, which he claimed was his own.
He emphasized that there is no law prohibiting a person related to the mayor from benefiting from the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC). Rather, the law specifies that the mayor must not participate in any process that grants a benefit to a relative.
“But I have a policy as far as I am the chairman sitting at KMC. I do not want any family business related to KMC,” he stated.
Counsel Gomez responded to Mayor Bensouda, noting that Jaja’s testimony was clear and that there was no evidence supporting the mayor’s claims.
Counsel Gomez reminded the mayor that the 2018 General Council resolution clearly stipulates that all contracts—including Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), any form of engagement, or support that could bind the council or create obligations or rights related to it—require the final approval of the mayor. This includes all payments from council accounts or funds.
“So by this resolution, you are to approve all payments and all contracts,” Counsel Gomez emphasized.
The mayor acknowledged the point but clarified, “We’ve gone over this debate. It was reversed. I, as mayor, do not sign any contracts, do not authorize any payments, and I would like you to show me any authorization I have made on the Lionworks payment.”
Counsel Gomez then asked whether there was a superseding resolution. Mayor Bensouda responded that the original resolution had been reversed through council committees, discussions, and the collective agreement of the council.
Counsel Gomez contested the claim, advising the Mayor that no resolution overrides the 2018 decision on this matter. He emphasized that the Loinworks payment could not have been made without the Mayor’s knowledge, as he had signed off on the original resolution.
“That is incorrect and that is wrong, and the Lionworks payment happened about 10 months after this council resolution, which many things have transpired, and which I read last week and I read today and I will read every other week,” Mayor Bensouda responded.
He assured the commission that neither he nor any member of his family has any personal interest in council funds. “I will take that to the grave because that is exactly what has happened,” he stated.
The Mayor further clarified that the Westfield project is demarcated for a distance of 1.5 kilometers, whereas the LionWorks project covered only a few meters. He argued that if he had sought to secure the contract for his family, the full stretch would have been claimed and fully compensated.
He emphasized that the council initially granted him the authority, but this decision was later reversed. He added that, had the payment come to him, he would never have approved it.
Counsel Gomez argued that the mayor’s actions were prompted because Jaja conducted an investigation and discovered a connection between him and the supplier.
“And we don’t have evidence of what you are saying regarding stopping the payment, so we need evidence of that. It is the CEO at the time who said in his statement that he did his findings,” Counsel Gomez noted.
The mayor responded, asserting that if he was indeed the authorizing authority, as suggested by Counsel Gomez, and had approved the payment, then Jaja Cham would not have had the authority to stop the contract “that goes contrary to what the lead counsel has been misleading the commission on,” he added.
Counsel Gomez then inquired whether any resolution had been passed that superseded the 2018 council resolution on this matter.
“Madam chair, I believe I have answered that for five days, but we can keep going. I said it was reversed, and it is in practice, I do not sign any authority for any payment above a hundred thousand,” Mayor Bensouda explained.
Counsel Gomez expressed dissatisfaction with the response, but Chairperson Jainaba Bah noted that it was the witness’s answer. Counsel Gomez then responded that if the commission found the answer satisfactory, that would be acceptable.
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