Revenue Collector Ida Jallow appeared before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry to provide an explanation regarding her *Four Million Three Fifty-Nine Thousand One Hundred and Ninety-Seven Dalasi (D4,359,197)* collection.
Ida’s written statement dated 12 August 2024 was tendered and admitted in evidence. F was first a market collector and then a rates and tax collector for the Brikama Area Council. Her cash book covering between 2018 and 2023 was tendered and admitted in evidence.
When informed that the amount of *D4,359,197* she collected could not be traced from any of the bank accounts of the Brikama Area Council, she testified that she did not deposit the funds in the bank.
“I don’t pay at the bank,” Ida Jallow said.
“Why?” Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez asked.
“I used to collect from Monday to Friday and then make payments from that,” she replied.
She explained that the payments she used to make include advance salary payments to staff who request it, purchase of cash power, and payment of vouchers.
“It depends on the instruction I received from my boss – Alagie Jeng,” she said.
“Any payment I make was based on his advice,” she added.
She claimed that she has a book containing details of the expenses or payments she made from her collections based on the instructions of the Director of Finance. She reiterated that she did not deposit any of her deposits for the period under review (2018-2023).
“Do you used to give money you collected to any of your bosses?” Counsel Gomez asked.
“Yes,” the witness answered.
“When I do collection from Monday to Friday, the Director of Finance would ask me to make payment, and after that and I would then take the balance to th3 Council on Friday,” she said.
She testified that she used to give Alagie Jeng and Yaya Bah the balance of money left after making the payment. She added that after the payment and returning the balance, she goes to the Internal Audit Unit and the Finance Unit for reconciliation.
She was informed that she should have deposited all her collections in the bank, but she stated that she was not told to be depositing the collections in the bank. The only time she began depositing in the bank was recently in 2024.
The Commission noted that despite not depositing her collections in the bank and without bank deposit slips, she was regularly cleared by the internal auditors.
“They all know that my collections were used to make payments,” she said.
She said one Lamin Drammeh and Amadou used to audit her, adding that the principal auditor, Sulayman Barry, was not involved.
The Commission adjourned the sittings for Yaya Bah, Alagie Jeng, and Lamin Drammeh to jointly appear with the witness on Monday, 26 August 2024.
The Commission is established to conduct a full and impartial investigation into local government councils to enhance transparency and accountability. The mandate of the Commission covers between May 2018 and January 2023.
