Sheikh Boyo Sambou, the witness, admitted before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry (LGCI) that he paid D20,000 to the personal account of the CEO of Mansakonko Area Council, Seedy K. Touray.
Now having a workshop in Soma with 14 apprentices under his stewardship, Sambou said he began electrical work in his primary school days. He also said that he is registered with the Gambia Public Procurement Authority (GPPA) and acknowledged to have had contracts with the Mansakonko Area Council.
He testified that the Council usually called him to fix some electrical issues for them. “Sometimes they pay me in cash and sometimes they give me cheque,” Sambou explained.
Witness Sambou admitted that he was paid D50,175 for a work he could not recall, but he deposited D20,000 from the sum into the personal account of CEO Seedy K. Touray.
Lead Counsel Yakarr Cox asked him, at this juncture, to relay how he (witness) got the CEO’s personal account and why the money was deposited into that account, especially considering the fact that it was paid on the same day the council paid him.
“It is my name and it is true that I made the payment, but I cannot remember how I got the account,” Sambou responded.
Asked whether he owed the CEO or had any relationship with him, he said he did not.
“I cannot recall, but I was the one who paid into his account,” he added.
Unable to give details, he however confirmed that there was an arrangement he had with the CEO to pay the money into his personal account.
“You are now saying you had an arrangement that you should pay him from the money that you received,” Counsel Yakarr Cox said.
Hearing advanced, and Commissioner Oreme E. Joiner later put it to the witness that he (the witness) contradicted himself in his statement. The witness said he was paid D50,000 but he could not recall the work he did for the council in this respect.
The deputy lead counsel, Patrick Gomez, later took over from lead counsel to quiz Mr Sambou. Counsel Gomez put it to Sambou that he knew about the overpayment and was used to it because he had a good relationship with the council. Without a choice, Sambou embraced the deputy lead counsel’s statement.
“Why did you not refund the money in the same account you were overpaid from?” Counsel Gomez asked.
“He [Bai Gibbi] gave me another account to repay the overpayment. I could have returned it in the same Trust Bank account, but I did as Bai Gibbi instructed,” Mr Sambou claimed.
Delving into another issue to which he had been related, Sambou explained: that he desired to purchase a Mitsubishi Pajero that the Mansakonko Area Council valued at D150,000. He added that he negotiated with Bai Gibbi Sallah, the director of finance, for the price to be lowered.
“He told me he was going to inform the committee because he cannot take decisions on his own. He called me and told me that the committee had accepted it,” he testified.
Chairperson Jainaba Bah interjected to ask the Sambou whether he met the committee, but he acknowledged that he did not.
