On Monday, August 19, 2024, Brikama Area Council (BAC) members were given an explanation by Momodou Charreh Gibba, the councilor for Gunjur Ward, Abie Bangura, the councilor for Banjulinding Ward, and Lamin Jarju, a former councilor for Marakissa Ward, about the “salibo” allowances they received during Koriteh and Tobaski feast celebrations.

They claim that Councilors received this as an honorarium. Witness Jarju stated before Commissioners that he did not anticipate this to be a “Salibo,” but he was informed that this is how they termed it at the Council. In contrast, witness Gibba claimed that this was a “salibo” that they received during Koriteh and Tobaski feasts.

Although the topic was never brought up at a general council meeting, Ms. Bangura claimed that the Councilors had discussed it among themselves and sought the Chairperson to obtain this advantage.

As a newly elected Councilor in 2018, Witness Gibba informed the Commissioners that Councilors were compensated with an honorarium for the feasts because members of the market and finance committees accompanied tax collectors during collection. Witness Jarju refuted his claim that this might be classified as honoraria, which he had made before the Commission.

Witness Jarju acknowledged receiving allowances when asked if he did as well, stating that they were paid at the end of each month and rose with time. The Commissioners requested that he furnish them with the specific amount he was paid between 2018 and 2023. When Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez questioned the witness about the propriety of getting this “salibo” allowance, the witness responded negatively. He did, however, add that he was unaware that it was improper at the time he received the money.

As a new councilor, this was the information that was given to me regarding the customs and norms that we saw there, according to witness Jarju.

He claimed that he last received this kind of stipend in 2023 and that he was unable to remember its exact amount. The witness said, “Not to my knowledge,” when asked if obtaining this “salibo” was discussed during a general council meeting. I have only ever engaged in casual conversations with Council colleagues; I have never attended or observed a discussion to this effect.”

He acknowledged that it should be reimbursed and informed the Commissioners that, in his position, he does not view this as an honorarium. The Commissioners were given the same explanation by Mr. Jarju for why they were getting these funds. He identified himself as a member of the finance committee and claimed that they get these funds for monitoring and evaluating revenue collectors.

You receive this amount twice a year. You realize there is no excuse for it. Lead Counsel Gomez informed him, “So what I expected you guys to do is to do the most honorable thing and expect you to admit where you were wrong.”

Jarjue was requested to furnish the Commission with the total compensation he received from 2018 to 2023, along with an explanation of his merits.

Says Ms. Bangura, she didn’t realize this was improper until today. She claimed that she had once benefited from this money during her first tenure as a councilor, and that thereafter, just ten councilors received it since the administration informed them there was none.

I was given 6,000 Dalasi at first, and then I got 10,000 Dalasi,” she said in court.

Funds for Geology:

The Commission was told, according to Witness Gibba, that the Council had received seven million Dalasi as a “geology” fund from the Government during one of the Council meetings. He claimed that during this meeting, the Council resolved to divide the funds among the Kombo South Councilors, with Gunjur, Kartong, and Sanyang being the designated beneficiaries.

The witness further told the Commissioners that the two million Dalasi that the Council was supposed to give them was distributed in two installments. He added that in 2022, they were granted D500,000.00, and in 2021, they received D1.5 million Dalasi.

The Commission did point out that although the Council received the geology funding in 2020, Gunjur Ward received them in 2021 and 2022.

Witness Gibba stated that he was unable to determine the Council’s 2023 receipt of the geological fund.

The money were not intended to be used for a particular area of action. Since Sambouya village was the most severely afflicted locality in the region and the site of active mining, the money was used there, according to witness Gibba.

Lamin Jarju stated in his testimony that his ward did not get any cash from the Brikama Area Council for “geology” or Ward Development projects between 2018 and 2023.

“The food aid from the Council for COVID-19 was the only thing that helped us,” he claimed.

According to Lady Councilor Abie Bangura, her Ward received D500,000.00, which she used to build a market shed. She also mentioned that the community contributed an additional D8,000.00 to this project.

The women are still using the market, but the work is not finished. For D508,000.00, Sarja Saidykhan was hired to construct the market, according to her.

Sitting goes on.