Revenue collector blames finance director

Upon his reappearance on Tuesday morning before Commissioners, following appearance the day prior, Counsel Patrick Gomez reminded him of the findings of the internal audit of the Brikama Area Council against him.

He was confronted with the monies he collected but never recorded in the cashbook. The auditors said it is D224,000 but the witness claimed it is D212,000 instead.

“You agree that the money was not in the bank,” Counsel Gomez said.

Sonko agreed. Ordered to explain what happened to the monies, he proceeded: “Yes, these monies, most of them, were given to the Director of Finance Alagie Jeng and the Principal Cashier Lamin K. Kanteh issued me with receipts.

This marked a dramatic turn of, as the witness began to do away with his testimony on Monday. On Monday, his first day of appearance, he insisted that he had deposited the monies.

Not only did he made such a claim but even went further to say that he had some of the deposit slips while the other deposit slips were with the director of finance.

Considering these claims, he was given the bank statements of the BAC to show the Commission his deposits. He was unable to do so to proof his claim, as no deposit by him was indicated in the bank statements.

However, following his abortive bid with this version on Monday, he took a dramatic twist on Tuesday.

As Tuesday’s session proceeded, he claimed that the monies were handed to the director of finance and he used to obtain receipts from the principal cashier after giving the money to the former.

“Why was it difficult for you to say this yesterday?” Counsel Gomez asked.

“I was thinking after paying the money to them they would have deposited the money in the bank. I was assuming they deposited the money in the bank,” the witness answered.

Mr Sonko also brought with him his 2021 cash book, which he failed to bring on the previous day, and it was tendered and admitted in evidence.

However, Chairperson Jainaba Bah discovered that Sonko removed some pages of the cash book by cutting them off. Sonko admitted but stated that it was only one page that was cut.

Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez informed him that the Commission has analysed his cash book for 2020 and has discovered that what he collected did not reflect in the bank.

He cited one transaction dated 18 June 2020 in which the witness was given a receipt of D745,000 but the Trust Bank account only indicated a deposit of D25,000. That reflects an outstanding balance of D720,000

“I gave the money to the director of finance. They just wrote the receipt. I gave them cheques as payments. The cheques and the cash were given to the director of finance,” he said in reaction to this discovery.

“Did you pass through the audit?” the lead counsel posed.

“Yes, it was audited and the stamp was there. They did the audit without the deposit slips,” he responded.

The lead counsel again asked if Sonko was inferring that “there was conspiracy” between the internal audit and the director of finance.

“Yes, that is what I understand,” Sonko stated.

Proceedings continued. The witness was subsequently interrogated on his absenteeism from auditing.

He cited instructions by the director of finance, which ordered him not to go for reconciliation at the internal audit unit.

Furthermore, on the 3rd to the 9^th of June 2022, the digital revenue collection device indicated that the Sonko collected D34,000 that did not reflect in the account.

He was also informed by the Commission that he did record it in his cash book.

“I gave it to the director of finance, and I was given a receipt by the principal cashier,” he averred.

In another transaction (24 - 30 March 2022) he collected D61,000, but he did not record it in the cash book. He said the money was also handed to the director of finance.

The witness said in a few transactions, he gave the director of finance money and he was not issued a receipt.

“You know it was wrong to give the director of finance money,” Gomez said.

Mr Sonko admitted that he knew it was wrong but attempted to vindicate himself, saying: “I was only acting based on the instruction of my superiors.”

He was eventually discharged.

The next witness is Ebrima Sawaneh, Acting Director of Admin Brikama Area Council.