His testimony was centred on his double spells as CEO of the Janjangbureh Area Council, the first being from 2016 to 2021 and the second tenure being 2023 to date.
Leigh conveyed in his testimony that he had a higher diploma in English in 2016 at the Rural Development Institute, a level 2 certificate in accounting from the Royal Society Arts and an English Intermediate certificate from the Gambia Technical Training Institute.
He began working at the Janjangbureh Area Council in 1983 as a revenue collector and was deployed and promoted as CEO of Mansakonko Area Council in 2012. He was redeployed to Janjangbureh Area Council in 2016, where he worked until 2021.
Leigh was later moved to Kerewan Area Council and then redeployed to Janjangbureh Area Council in July 2023.
His responsibilities, he said, included safeguarding the properties, approving transactions and the general administration of the Janjangbureh Area Council (JAC)
Leigh testified that during his first tenure, JAC had accounts with only three banks – Reliance Financial Services, Guaranty Trust Bank and Trust Bank. He added that when he came back in 2023, he found out that the council had five bank accounts, which meant two new accounts (BSIC and Vista Bank) were added.
He affirmed that JAC has a strategic plan (2022 to 2026) through the assistance of UNDP and Action Aid The Gambia. He was at this point asked to provide it to the council.
Moreover, Leigh testified that during his time, JAC did not have loans or bank overdrafts, adding that while handing over to Pa Sait Ceesay in 2021, the council’s accounts had a total balance of three million dalasis. He informed the Commission that JAC had no clerk.
Probed on the issue of budget preparation, Leigh testified that they sometimes commence budget preparation in September. He lamented that they sometimes encounter delays due to the busy schedules of the chairman and the CEO, adding that JAC had no designated budget officer.
Quizzed about contracts, ranging from procurement to payment transactions, he admitted that they did not follow the Financial Manual and other laws governing the operations of the Council.
Only four committees – the committees for finance, contracts, establishment and education – were operational, according to the witness.
