Manku Manneh, a revenue collector at the BsAC, had alleged that a digital revenue collection device that was assigned to him was lost. Allegations have it that the device had been with him for over three months before it was turned over to the area council.
However, Manku testified before the Commission about two weeks ago and maintained that it was only one month, and that the device was lost for that entire month.
There are also allegations he carried out transactions with the device, but he had maintained before the Commission that he did not.
In this regard, Mr Lamin S. Manneh, the ICT officer at the Basse Area Council, yesterday shed light on the issue as he gave evidence before the Local Government of Inquiry (LGCI).
Beginning hearing, Counsel Patrick Gomez asked: “What can you tell us about the device that was with Manku Manneh, which he said he forgot at his house, and there was a report he had been having that device for over three months, even though he said for a month. What do you know about that situation?”
The witness responded: “Like I said in my statement, there was a time, Lamin S. Touray, the IT manager, my boss, travelled to Kombo for official mission. I was the one in the office with the interns. Then I was called by then Finance Director Lamin Suso, [who told me] that Manku should go for collection and that I should give a device to Manku.
“Our office procedure is that before I do anything, I consult my boss. Then I made a call to Lamin S. Touray, and he told me that, according to our records, ‘Manku has a device and I should not give him any device’.
“You are saying that Finance Director Lamin Suso asked you to give the device to Manku Manneh, a revenue collector,” Counsel Gomez asked again.
The witness affirmed that is what he implied.
“And it is your procedure in your office that everything has to be recorded, and you have to communicate with your boss?
The witness responded in the positive, further testifying: “He told me not to give Manku a device because, according to the records, Manku has a device. He said I should not issue any device to Manku. Then I reported back to the finance director that the IT manager said Manku is with a device and none should be issued to him.
“We were there until Lamin S Touray [IT manager] came back from Kombo. Then he asked Manku himself pertaining the device. Manku denied that he was having a device. Later, my boss Lamin S. Touray travelled to Kombo, and then I got a call from him. He said that Kabba Sanneh, also a revenue collector, would bring a device to me.
“I asked him which device was that. He said it was a device that was found in Manku’s hand. He said Kabba would bring the device, and I should write a note, attach it to the device and then keep the device.”
“Then Kabba came with the device. The device was with me. By then the CEO travelled to Kombo, and it was Yaya Ceesay (director of planning) who was overseeing the position of the CEO. Then the following day, we reported the matter to Yaya Ceesay.
The witness added that Mr Ceesay told him to go and “print out all the transactions” in that device and bring it. He added that he did as he was told, and presented the printouts to Mr Ceesay.
He further testified that he later relayed the matter to his boss Lamin S. Touray (IT manager), after the latter returned from the Kombos.
Giving about all this happenings, he said it was around November or December 2022, when the Finance Director requested that Manku be given a device. He said they recovered the device that was allegedly lost by Manku around April 2023.
Counsel Gomez also asked the witness if he could recall the total amount from the transactions as per the printouts. The witness said he could not recall the amount involved.
