Modou Jonga, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Brikama Area Council, continued to acknowledge his mismanagement in the administration of the council’s affairs during the Local Government Commission of Inquiry’s proceedings on Thursday.

When asked about the 2022 second quarter report of the Internal Audit of the aforementioned Council, Witness Jonga made this acceptance.

The witness was informed by Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez that the audit report indicated that the salaries of certain Council staff who are granted loans are reduced by over 50%.

Counsel Gomez inquired, “Are you aware that a staff member’s net salary cannot be reduced by more than 50% when they are granted a loan?”

The witness responded by stating that he is aware that a staff member’s salary should not be reduced by 50%. He also stated that this was incorrect and contradicted the account and financial manual. He stated that there was no justification for this action. The audit report stated that no formal contract between the council and Gaye could be traced in relation to the contract given to Malick Gaye, a staff member of the council’s planning and development unit, for the rehabilitation of a mosque and toilet facility within the council premises at a cost of seven hundred thousand Dalasi, and another contract for the roofing of the council’s car park storage. Additionally, the audit report noted that the painting of the council’s old administrative building cost eighty-eight thousand, eight hundred and twelve Dalasi.

The witness stated, “I recall the mosque’s rehabilitation, and the remaining projects are minor contracts. I am confident that the documents will be accessible at the Council.”

“For the mosque, we were to procure a contractor from outside the organization, in accordance with the bid-offer-qualification that we received.” We believed that it would be more advantageous for Mr. Gaye to perform the task and receive a significantly lower compensation at the contract committee level. “That was the driving force,” Mr. Jonga revealed.

Counsel Gomez informed him of the Commission’s assurance that there was no gratuity, as the contract was awarded to a Council staff member.

Counsel Gomez inquired, “Can you persuade anyone that there was no kickback?”

In this instance, the witness stated that it will be challenging to substantiate the claim in order to persuade an individual. He asserted that the contract awarding process was illegal and unjust because the conflict of interest was disregarded.

“Occasionally, errors occur during reconciliation, resulting in the duplication of bank charges.” Therefore, the management’s stance at the time was that these were reversed in the bank reconciliation statements.

The audit report stated that a physical inspection was conducted on the road maintenance and rehabilitation along sections on the frontage of Box Ba Lot 2. This inspection indicated that the contract agreement was signed on December 30, 2020, for three million, eight hundred and seven thousand, one hundred and ninety Dalasi, seventeen butut. Counsel Gomez informed the witness of this information. He also informed him that auditors had observed that the work was scheduled to be completed in September 2021, as stipulated in the agreement. However, he stated that the work was still incomplete during the site visit on June 22, 2021, despite the contractor having been completely paid.

Witness Jonga stated that the contractor was not compensated in full, but rather received a 20% advance. He stated that the contractor’s tardiness in purchasing materials was the cause of the delay in the project. He also mentioned that this occurred during a period of scarcity of basalt and cement in the country.

The witness was informed by Counsel Gomez that the audit report’s response from management was solely focused on the delay and did not address the contractor’s full payment.

Witness Jonga acknowledged that this appears to have been an oversight and consented to furnish the Commission with all pertinent documentation concerning the payment.

In response to the audit query regarding the drilling of two boreholes in Foni Bodali for one million, fifty-four thousand, two hundred Dalasi and the 45-day completion time, the auditors reported that during their visit to the sites, they observed that work was at a standstill in the two communities. Additionally, they observed that the water tank in one of the communities was leaking, and there were eight taps installed, rather than the eleven specified in the agreement.

The Commission observed that the contractor in one of the communities reported a scarcity of water tanks and that the delay was also caused by the need for sanction from the National Roads Authority for underground drilling. The witness stated that it required several weeks to obtain the sanction, and that they also required approval from the GPPA for single sourcing.

“The remaining three taps that were not yet repaired were repaired upon receipt of this report, and the remaining outstanding work was completed,” he stated. He was requested by the Commission to furnish them with documentation concerning the drilling of this borehole.

The act of sitting persists.