At the center of the scandal is Nyakassi Gassama, a water resource management official at North Bank Regional office, who allegedly used fraudulent documents, inflated invoices, and kickbacks to siphon public funds.
The case revolves around a borehole contract in Darusalam, originally valued at D850,000, but later fraudulently reduced to D450,000, with part of the remaining funds allegedly distributed as kickbacks to Seedy K. Touray .
The inquiry revealed that Momodou Sanneh, the registered owner of Sanneh’s Enterprise, had his business documents used without his knowledge to secure the contract.
During his testimony, Mr Sanneh firmly denied any involvement in the borehole drilling contract. Official records indicated that Sanneh’s Enterprise was awarded the contract, but he insisted he had no knowledge of it.
When questioned by Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez, Sanneh admitted knowing Yusupha Sambou but denied ever working with him on a borehole project of Kerewan Area Council. He also denied knowing Nyakassi Gassama, linked to the contract. Thus, when shown an invoice for D850,000 under his company’s name, Sanneh categorically denied any connection to it, stating the signature on the document was not his.
He later recalled giving the copy of his business registration to Yusupha Sambou, allegedly for a potential borehole contract which never materialised. Consequently, he said, he was unaware that his documents had been misused until the commission’s investigation.
Sanneh testified that before facing the commission, Nyakassi called him on phone and confessed using his business registration fraudulently and promised to compensate him. According to him, he rejected the offer, stating that his business name had been tarnished and he would not take the matter lightly.
For his part, Nyakassi Gassama, who was found to have played a central role in securing the fraudulent contract, was questioned. He initially denied any wrongdoing and claimed he did not represent Sanneh’s Enterprise. Instead, he said the contract was awarded to a company called Inet, which he admitted was owned by his niece. However, he later acknowledged receiving payments related to the contract.
Documents presented to the commission showed that Kerewan Area Council paid D850,000 for the borehole, with the contract being signed by Gassama himself. However, he denied signing the invoice, insisting that the signatures belonged to CEO Seedy K. Touray and the Director of Planning.
Lead Counsel Gomez confronted Gassama with evidence showing that he personally received payments linked to the contract. Gassama admitted receiving the money but insisted he had not signed the invoice. He claimed that D200,000 of the funds was given as kickbacks , over D190,000 to CEO Seedy K. Touray’s account.
Yusupha Sambou, another key figure in the scheme, was pressed on why he took Sanneh’s invoice and handed it to Gassama. Sambou explained that he had previously worked with Sanneh at YMCA, where they had drilled a borehole. He stated that Nyakassi contacted him about a contract in Kerewan, requiring a contractor with a registered business. Sambou then informed Nyakassi about Sanneh’s company, to which Nyakassi agreed.
Sambou further detailed that he called Sanneh, informing him about the contract opportunity, and arranged a meeting at Turntable. There, he requested copies of Sanneh’s business registration invoice, assuring him that if the contract was successful, they would be compensated.
When asked why the invoice presented at the council was different from Sanneh’s original receipt, Sambou testified that he had taken a picture of it and sent it to Nyakassi.
"So, Nyakassi changed it?" the lead counsel inquired. Sambou responded: "I just know that today."
Despite confirming that the contracted work was completed, Sambou admitted that he never followed up with Sanneh. He explained that Nyakassi had never informed him that he used Sanneh’s documents. Instead, Nyakassi claimed he had won the contract himself and subcontracted to Sambou. Furthermore, Nyakassi allegedly told him that the contract amount was not D850,000 but had been reduced to D450,000.
Trusting Nyakassi, Sambou said he accepted the contract under the new terms and adjusted the figures accordingly. He also disclosed that the original invoice stated 10 taps, but Nyakassi later informed him that the number had been reduced to five taps.
Regarding payment, Sambou revealed that Nyakassi sent money through his secretary’s account. When questioned about whether he gave Nyakassi a kickback from the D450,000, Sambou clarified that the full amount never arrived. Instead, Nyakassi allegedly took D35,000 from the sum.
Lead Counsel Gomez exposed how the fraud was orchestrated: Kerewan Area Council paid D850,000 for the borehole project. Gassama deducted D200,000 as kickbacks for top officials. Gassama misled Sambou, telling him the contract was worth only D450,000. He then took an additional D35,000 from the D450,000 before paying Sambou.
Commissioner Sillah criticised Gassama’s actions, pointing out that he reduced the number of taps from ten to five at his own discretion for personal gain, depriving the community of access to clean water.
When confronted, Gassama attempted to defend himself, stating that he was fasting and under oath. However, Commissioner Sillah dismissed his claims, telling him, “Stop acting like a good Muslim because your actions are not Islamic.”
