It is the finding of the auditors that her qualification was relatively low for the position of manager.
Faal argued before the Commission that the report was the opinion of the auditors. She was told her highest qualification was the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) diploma for grade twelve and an IT certificate. She did not dispute the audit statement.
She then said she was not informed by the management of the KMC about the qualification for the position of PR manager.
She added that she believed that she might not have the “academic qualification” required for the job, but she has the “experience”.
She was asked about her experience, and she mentioned the companies she worked for, which include Unique FM as a presenter and marketer, and as PR at Gam Sense.
She will reappear this week.
In a similar testimony, while testifying about her responsibilities of the PR manager at the KMC, Isatou Faal stated that she was the mouthpiece of the Council and was responsible for dissemination of information relating Council programmes and policies to the masses, sensitisation of the people on the need to pay taxes and sensitisation on the services the Council offers.
She also had a public relations officer and a cameraman who worked under her unit. She was asked to provide the files she kept during her time as the PR Manager.
Lead Counsel Gomez asked her about the 2019 trip to Dakar to procure a Canadian visa for Mayor Talib Bensouda.
Faal said four of them went to submit the application and this included the mayor, who went by flight.
She added that she went because she was told by the director of administration (Dembo Sanneh) that it was her responsibility to coordinate the trips of the mayor and to ensure that the bookings are done as required.
She stated that the instruction was not written, but she felt that it was part of her ToR because her contract with KMC provided that she should perform any instruction given to her by the director of administration.
Lead Counsel Gomez asked her if her new role included travelling to destinations like Canada to book hotels for the mayor. At this point, she changed her statement, saying it was not part of her ToR; instead, she only went when instructed.
She was handed a memo from the office of the mayor addressed to the CEO, requesting support for their trip to Dakar from 20 to 23 May 2019 to facilitate his visa application to Canada. The request was for a vehicle and a driver.
The name of the witness was not listed, but she claimed it was a verbal instruction from the director of administration. She stated that she went with the mayor's documents and was there to confirm whether the hotel was booked.
