Sohna Touray, who admitted to shortages (suppression of revenues) in some instances, was also tasked to provide evidence of repayment of these sums.
A resident of Brikama in the West Coast Region, Madam Touray, has been a revenue collector for the Brikama Area Council collecting rates and taxes since 2014 for New Yundum.
In her testimony, she told the Commission that she had settled the D4,000 revenue shortage, saying: “I made the payment in the Council’s account after I was told about the shortage.”
The deposit slip and the receipt, dated 14 April 2020 and 14 April 2022, were both admitted into evidence.
However, Deputy Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez was not wholly convinced by the witness’s claim. “What would show us that this particular payment was a repayment of your shortage?” he asked.
The witness said the payment was made in the bank and the deposit slip was taken to the council where she was given a receipt. It was brought to her attention that she was supposed to pay D4,200 instead of the D4,050.
Moreover, Madam Touray provided two cashbooks, the first covering 2015-2020 and the second one covering 2023.
She was also queried on her cashbook for 2021-2022. However, she said: “The cash book for 2021 and 2022 was lost. I was not making entries. I do the collection and go to the bank to do the deposits, then go to the council with the deposit slips to the auditors for auditing.”
Again, Madam Touray was probed on some other collections and for failing to go for auditing. Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez informed the witness that records from the internal audit unit of the council contained in lodgment register that indicated that she was not going for auditing.
The witness was asked about some sums of money including D1,575, D3,325, D4,950, D2,550, D1,100, and D3,600.
“I submitted all these collections and I was issued bank receipts for all of them. I take the deposit slips to the audit for auditing. The only mistake I made was that I did not sign the audit books,” she said.
She further claimed that during all these purported occasions, she went to the principal cashier for receipts, which she said she had lost.
She told the panel that she was informed that she had a shortage of D17,000, and therefore she went to the auditors for reconciliation.
“After the reconciliation, there was a shortage of D12,800 and I have paid the money already,” she testified.
The BAC revenue provided an EcoBank deposit slip and the GTR Receipts, dated 9 March 2024 and 19 March 2024 respectively, all containing transactions amounting to D12,800. They were also admitted into the Commission’s records.
Witness Touray was further questioned over some other collections that cast doubts in the minds of commissioners, before she was eventually discharged.
