The session revealed serious concerns regarding Mayor Lowe’s handling of council funds, particularly her practice of authorising payments directly and in her name, bypassing committee review and established procedures.
Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez presented several payment vouchers to Batchilly for identification, all of which were admitted into evidence. Gomez asked the Mayor whether the BCC had both a finance and an accounts committee. Lowe responded that only a finance committee existed; there was no accounts committee in place during her tenure.
Gomez noted that several payments amounting to millions of dalasis were made by the Council as donations, many without proper scrutiny. He asked Lowe to explain the procedure for issuing such support. The Mayor stated that the process usually began with a request, which would prompt a donation from the Council.
A case involved D279,550 spent to support the 2021 Banjul City Carnival, with a payment voucher showing the Mayor’s handwritten instruction to the CEO, directing him to process the payment “as soon as possible.”
When asked who determined the amount to be paid, Lowe said it was based on the request submitted by the group. However, Gomez pointed out that the amount disbursed exceeded what the group had budgeted. Lowe acknowledged this after reviewing the Council’s budget documents but maintained that the figure approved was aligned with what the group had initially requested.
“Should the Mayor be making decisions in this manner?” Gomez asked.
Batchilly responded that “the request should have been forwarded to a committee to review and advise. It is improper for the Mayor to decide such amounts on her own.”
Mayor Lowe defended her actions, claiming she was continuing a pre-existing practice she found in place at the Council.
Batchilly firmly rejected this, stating that was never the culture of the Council. It was introduced by the Mayor when she came. At some point, “I advised the Mayor on the need to establish a committee to deliberate on this and scholarships.”
According to Batchilly, that committee was never formed, despite his recommendation. Lowe disagreed, saying she was not advised by the former CEO, but rather by auditors during an audit exercise. She added that the committee has since been established, though she was unsure whether this was in response to the 2022 or 2023 audit report.
A core concern raised by Gomez was that most financial assistance letters were addressed personally to Mayor Lowe, and acknowledgment letters thanking her not the Council were routinely received.
Lowe maintained that all support was from the Council and not from her personal funds. When asked why letters were directed to her, she said it was on Batchilly’s advice. Batchilly admitted giving such advice, believing that some of the requests were political in nature and should be handled by the Mayor directly.
