Former CEO Mustapha Batchilly during his testimony, revealed that the Mayor received D15,000 per week in fuel allowance. “The Mayor gets D15,000,” he said.
When shown a voucher showing D19,000 for a particular week, he acknowledged, “This time around the Mayor demanded D19,000.” Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez asked, “Is that not too much?” Batchilly responded, “From which standpoint are you looking at from?” Gomez replied, “From the standpoint of abuse. D60,000 fuel a month is too much.” Batchilly did not challenge the assertion.
The inquiry further discovered that out of a D2.2 million Women’s Empowerment Fund, a staggering sum of D1.9 million was spent on travel for the Mayor and members of REFELA (Network for Locally Elected Women of Africa), a body headed nationally by the Mayor herself. Gomez asked, “Which women are you empowering?” Batchilly did not respond.
Payments for REFELA activities were made without clear budget lines. When questioned on which account funded them, Batchilly first said it came from the Women’s Empowerment Fund.
Chairperson Bah responded: “Your assertion is not correct. You were taking from any available in the council’s account.” Batchilly replied, “Yes, I agree.”
The commission revealed BCC paid D731,400 in allowances to four REFELA staff individuals who were not council staff and therefore not entitled to such payments.
Gomez noted that these payments began even before REFELA was registered in The Gambia.
In one case, D200,000 was approved for Mayor Lowe’s ticket upgrade from economy to business class, but there was no evidence of such an upgrade. “There seems to have been no upgrading,” Batchilly admitted.
Gomez added: “It appears the money went into an individual pocket.” The Mayor only returned the funds through Fatou Mbenga in 2024 after auditors flagged the issue.
Another D93,000 was paid to Mbenga as imprest for a town hall meeting, bypassing all procurement procedures. “The payment was unlawful,” Batchilly admitted. She also received D8,150 for the Mayor’s official communication.
The Mayor’s personal assistant, Isatou Njie, was paid D89,500 to attend a US event intended for the Mayor herself. Batchilly admitted, “That is not a REFELA activity.” Gomez showed letters where event organisers first agreed to sponsor the Mayor but later withdrew after learning that Njie was going instead. “She is the guest of Rohey Malick Lowe,” the organisers wrote.
Njie and Essa Darboe, the Mayor’s orderly, were also given £200 per diem each to process visas in Dakar. “The decision does not make sense,” Batchilly said, confirming it came solely from the Mayor.
