Fatou Joof, a resident of Tallinding, appeared before the commission with her appointment letter, dated April 23, 2019, and her written statement from December 3, 2024. Both were tendered and admitted into evidence.
Joof told the commission that she worked as a revenue collector, initially accompanying senior collector Sheriff Mbye, who has since passed. Their supervisor, Marie Louis Mo, also joined them in revenue collection before retiring.
Her career at the BCC came to an abrupt halt after auditors flagged an alleged cash suppression in her name, leading to her interdiction on October 24, 2024. The interdiction letter was tendered and admitted in evidence.
Joof testified that she personally took 22,400 dalasis to the BCC, where the internal audit unit reviewed the amount and cleared her. She said she handed the money to cashier Oumie Darboe, who issued her a receipt after the payment was made.
However, she later learned from the BCC’s Chief Executive Officer that an audit query had been raised against her. The issue, she said, stemmed from how the cashier banked the funds—not from any wrongdoing on her part.
“I was surprised because I made the deposit and I was receipted,” she told the commission.
Following the audit query, Joof was called in by the Fraud Squad of the Gambia Police Force. She presented her receipt and provided a statement; despite proving that she had properly deposited the money, she remains suspended from work.
“Despite showing them my receipt and clearing my name, I have still not been recalled to work,” she said.
Counsel Sunkary Camara, after reviewing the audit report, confirmed that Joof had been cleared. The report found that she had collected 22,400 dalasis, but the cashier had only deposited 22,300.
“It is true that you have been cleared by the auditors,” Camara told her.
The Local Government Commission of Inquiry is conducting a sweeping investigation into the financial and administrative operations of local councils from May 2018 to January 2023, aiming to enhance transparency and accountability. (Source: LGCI)
