3 BAC Councilors testified before the Local Government Commission

Three ward councillors of Brikama Area Council testified before the Local government commission of Inquiry on Monday. They are Momodou Charreh Gibba – Gunjur Ward, Lamin Jarju – former Councilor Marakissa, and Abbie Bangura – Banjulinding Ward
Momodou Charreh Gibba, the current councilor of Gunjur Ward and serving his second term. His tenure commenced in May 2018, and he was re-elected after completing his first tenure. His written statement dated 13 May 2024 and his additional statement dated 14 August 2023 were both admitted in evidence.
He was questioned about the Geology Funds his ward received from the Brikama Area Council and the honorarium, otherwise called the “Salibo Allowance”, he has been receiving from the Council.
Councilor Gibba provided a written document he prepared and signed showing the details of the monies received by the Gunjur Ward from the Brikama Area Council Geology Funds. Councilor Gibba said the information therein contained was the details he took from the Ward Development account. It was tendered and admitted in evidence.
Gunjur Ward Development Committee received D500,000 on 18 June 2019 as ward allocation. The Geology Funds received was 2 million dalasi disbursed on two allocations – 1.5 million dalasi was received on 13 August 2021 and D500,000 was received on 28 December 2022.
“It was supposed to be D2 million. The Council disbursed it in two phases. The first phase was D1.5 million in 2019 and D500,000 in 2022,” Councilor Gibba said.
When asked about what he knows about the Geology Funds, the witness said it was announced to them during one of the Council meetings that they received 7 million dalasifrom Government as Geology Funds. He added that the Council in that meeting agreed that the councillors in Kombo South should be given the fund, and it was decided that Gunjur, Kartong and Sanyang Wards would each get 2 million dalasis while the remaining 1 million dalasis would be given for Kartong Ward.
The Commission noted that the Council received the Geology Funds in 2020, but the Council disbursed the money to Gunjur Ward in 2021 and 2022 in two phases. The Gunjur Ward received a little over D1,014,000 million in August 2023. The witness said he was not aware of how much was received by the Council for the 2023 Geology Fund.
“Have you used on the areas affected in terms of rehabilitation?” Chairperson Jainaba Bah asked.
“We were not directed to use the funds for a specific intervention area,” the witness answered.
The witness said the money was used in Sambouya Village, where mining was taking place actively and it was the “most affected.” He explained that the mining affected their roads and the women’s garden.

Lamin Jarju, former Councilor Marakissa took the floor to testify. He was a councillor from 2008 to 2022. Jarju said from 2018 to 2023 his ward did not benefit from the Council regarding ward development projects/allocation and the Geology Funds. He added that they only benefitted from the COVID-19 food aid from the Council.
The witness was asked about the Twenty-Five Thousand Dalasi (D25,000) he received from the Council. He testified that he was given D25,000 by the Brikama Area Council. He explained that his vehicle was used by the Council to do collection of revenue. He said the councillors used to follow revenue collectors to do a collection. He added that the compliance level of the vendors and taxpayers increases when the counsellors go with the collector than when the collectors go alone.
The witness said the Council purchased a car engine for him from Tallinding and fixed it in his vehicle. He added that the engine was affixed by the mechanics of the Council while he left the car engine he was using in the Council.
“The Council purchased the new engine for me. I left the old engine with the Council because I felt that I did not own it any longer,” Jarju said.
“Salibo Allowance”
Momodou Charreh Gibba of Gunjur Ward testified that the councillors were given an allowance for Koriteh and Tobaski feasts. He explained that the idea is to give councillors an honorarium for steps they take to support collectors in revenue collectors by participating in the collection. He testified that he used to receive monthly allowances above D6,000 and it was later increased steadily.
Gibba said the honorarium or allowance he was paid for the koriteh and tobaski was wrong. He added that the payment was for the “exercises” of the other councillors, but he was given the money even though he had never participated in the self-claimed exercise. He explained that the Finance Committee and the Market Committee used to embark on exercise by demarcating areas for vendors and helping the collectors in their collection.
“What did you do that will warrant you to be paid the honorarium?” Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez asked.
“I was not personally involved,” the witness answered.
“Why were you paid an honorarium?” Counsel Gomez asked.
“At that time I did not know it was not right, but now I know,” Councilor Gibba answered.
“You could not know because of your benefit. You chose not to see it,” Gomez told the witness.
The witness paused and later stated, “I could not see at the time.” When asked how the idea of paying the honorarium came about, the witness said he was not aware of or involved in any Council discussion about the payment. He stated that the idea was informal and there was no council resolution about it.
“Was this discussed in a council’s general meeting?” Counsel Gomez asked.
“Not to my knowledge. It was an informal meeting,” the witness answered.
Gibba testified the payment was wrong and unlawful.
Lamin Jarju holds a different view. He admitted that there was no council resolution for the payment of the allowance. He, however, stated that the payment was lawful as a means of compensating them for the work done outside their mandate as councillors. He refused naming the allowance as “Salibo Allowance.” Instead, he chose to refer to the allowance as an honorarium.
Jarju testified that he was a member of the Finance Committee, and they used to support collectors collection. In the end, he stated that the allowance was about the work done in supporting the collectors.
“At the end of the exercise we expect to be given a certain percentage,” Jarju said.
“What is the percentage?” Lead Counsel Gomez asked.
The witness answered that he did not know. He insisted that the payment was lawful.
He explained that sometimes the payment takes time before they are paid. He added that sometimes the Council accumulates the payments to give them.
“The time for the payment is at the discretion of the Council,” he said.
The witness insisted that he was entitled to the payment.
“I feel that I am entitled to that payment after doing a service for the council which was not part of my job,” he said.
“To me Salibo was wrong. It was an honorarium,” Jarju added.
He was asked to go back to the Council to provide the Commission the details of the amounts he was paid, dates and the work he did.
Councilor Momodou Charreh Gibba provided an explanation as to how the 2 Million was spent, including the building of an admission ward at the Sambuya Clinic and the Santaba Water Rehabilitation Project for Misira (tank and machine problems) and Santaba (the same problems). He was asked to provide the contact details and payments made.
Gibba provided documents which were tendered and admitted in evidence. They were the bank statement of the Gunjur Ward Development, ccount, agreement between Sola Enterprise and the Gunjur Misira Community, extension of the low power voltage, letter to the Managing Director of NAWEC, budget intervention, letter addressed to the CEO on 16 April 2022, second phase Sambouya Clinic agreement of 2021 and some other documents.
After the two Councilors were discharged, another councillor was ushered in to testify. She is Abie Bangura of Banjulinding Ward. The written statement of the witness dated 15 May 2024 was tendered by Deputy Lead Counsel Sunkary Camara and it was admitted in evidence.
She testified that from her ward allocation of Five Hundred Thousand Dalasi (D500,000), she was able to construct a market shade. She stated that the community added Eighty Thousand Dalasi (D80,000).
She testified that Sarja Saidykhan was contracted to build the market for D580,000. The witness said the community identified Sarja Saidykhan and there was no contract signed.
“The work is still not done. The women are using it, but it is not done,” she said.
She testified that the first withdrawal for payment for Sarjawas done without the consent of the development office. She added that her monthly allowance was stopped based on the instructions of the CEO of the Brikama Area Council for flouting the rules by withdrawing the allocation without the consent of the development officer. She explained that she later came to know what she did was wrong. She said in the subsequent withdrawal the development officer was involved.
On the councillors’ allowance for the Koriteh and Tobaski, she testified that she was a member of the Finance Committee, Vice-Chairperson Social Committee and the Market Committee. She was the chairperson of the Foreign and Integration Committee.
She testified that the Foreign Committee was dormant and they were not provided information.
“We do not do any activities in that Committee,” she said.
She testified that she only ttraveledto Senegal as the Chairperson of the Committee. She was requested to provide the minutes of the meeting of the Social Committee and the Foreign and Integration Committee.
She testified that they used to complain to the CEO for lack of engaging the Committees about activities making them dormant.
She was asked about the honorarium she received between 2018 and 2023. She testified that she first received D6,000 which steadily increased to D10,00.
“The idea was not a general council decision. This was what the councillors discussed and approached the Chairman for it,” she said.
“I never knew it was wrong. Now I know it. I know it is wrong. It is wrong,” she said.
She said she only received the annual allocation only once in her first tenure. She added that in the last term, only 10 councillors benefitted from the allocation.
“They will tell you there is no money,” she said.