Auditor uncovers financial irregularities at BCC

Assan A. Jallow, an internal auditor at BCC since 2019, provided his employment and confirmation letters as proof of his tenure. He disclosed that during his probation period in 2018, the mayor awarded him a monthly cash payment of D4,000.

Jallow revealed that when he joined the internal audit unit, it comprised three members, one of whom was Sanna Sawaneh, later promoted to Director of Internal Audit. He expressed serious concerns regarding financial mismanagement, particularly pointing out unauthorised and dubious payments.

He exposed that the council allocated funds to the Refela secretariat without proper justification or authorisation. He revealed that employees at the secretariat received substantial payments, despite a lack of clear purpose or explanation for these disbursements. The payments included: Isatou Njie D10,500, Musukebba Cham D9,950, Ndey Fatima Jammeh D9,950, and Ebou Drammeh D3,150 (who has since absconded to the U.S.). Jallow indicated that his audit team identified these payments as irregular but faced opposition from management when attempting to address the issue.

He elaborated that the internal audit unit encountered significant hurdles in maintaining financial accountability at BCC. Jallow clarified that not all payments were subjected to internal audit scrutiny, and, in certain cases, financial transactions occurred without adequate oversight.

“One particular instance involved a D300,000 imprest fund authorised by former CEO Batchilly and Finance Manager Cham, which was reportedly given to the mayor yet remained unaccounted for. Jallow highlighted that this payment bypassed the internal audit process, intensifying concerns over potential financial mismanagement within the council.”

Jallow presented the commission with draft reports for 2021 and 2022, underscoring significant financial irregularities. However, he noted that the management declined to address their concerns. Additionally, he emphasised that the National Audit Office's repeated inquiries about questionable expenditures were disregarded by the council.”

“Although the internal audit department had flagged concerns over financial mismanagement,” Jallow testified that the council reportedly retaliated against him by trying “to reassign him to the cleansing service after he refused to endorse unethical financial practices.”