The witness is a resident of Brikama. He works as the market master of the Brikama Area Council, deployed at the Brikama Market. He testified that he began working in the council in 1996 as a revenue collector responsible for car parks.
He said he has been the market master of the Brikama Market since 2014 - first as acting. The written statement of the witness, dated 27th October 2023, was tendered and admitted in evidence. The witness said he has never operated a cash book. He was asked the type of recordings he kept as a market master, and the witness replied he is not a revenue collector. Instead, he performs supervision over the market collectors in Brikama. There were 25 revenue collectors under him.
On duties of a market master, he said he performs supervisory roles over the market collectors, keeping record of the collectors present and those absent. The witness testified that he used to receive cash from market collectors. He added that the system he found there was maintained. He said the system was that the collectors would deposit their three days collections - that is from Monday to Thursday – and four days collections – that is from Thursday to Sunday) to the market manager for safekeeping. He testified that the 3 days collections are deposited on Thursday, and the four days collections are deposited on Monday.
He explained that the market manager would write the amount he received from the collectors on a piece of paper and attach the paper to the cash received. The witness, as the market master, is responsible for taking the cash to the bank. He added that in the absence of the market manager, he would receive the cash from the collectors and deposit it in the bank. He explained that the deposits in the bank are made in the name of the collector, and the receipts are handed to the collector to take to the council for auditing and receipt.
The witness said former CEO Modou Jonga stopped the system. They are no longer allowed to keep the cash with them for days. He added that collectors are allowed to do the depositing all by themselves instead of the market master.
The witness said there is a canteen register containing the names of people with canteens in the market, the amount they should pay, and other relevant details. He added that the same applies to the markets in Lamin and Busumbala. He testified that he used to keep the CRBR Book that contains the names of the revenue collectors issued with receipt books and other information related to the receipts.
The witness said the money was requested by Alagie Jeng, the director of finance. He added that Alagie Jeng has admitted receiving the money from him. The witness explained that he gave Alagie Jeng the money because he was his boss. He testified that at the time, he did not know that his action was wrong. He said he came to know that from following the proceedings of the Commission.
The witness said that after collection, the market collectors would bring the money to him to take to the bank. He added that when Alagie Jeng requests cash, he gives him the amount as requested and takes the balance to the bank. He explained that the revenue collectors whose monies were taken would go to the council to collect receipts from the Principal Cashier.
The witness was questioned about the 2020 internal audit query for unaccounted funds amounting to D63,000 and D70,000. The witness said this was during the period he used to receive and keep the collectors' daily collections. He added that he sometimes used to receive instructions from Alagie Jeng, the director of finance of the Brikama Area council to give him from the collections to fund council activities such as funeral and naming or wedding ceremonies involving council staff. The witness said he was not keeping a record of the monies he gave the finance director.
He testified that Alagie Jeng had admitted receiving the cash from him. He added that he did not know it was wrong to give cash to the director of finance at the time.
