Mr Bah, whose company was registered in 2014, had four borehole drilling contracts with the Mansakonko Area Council. These boreholes were all successfully drilled at Kiang Mandina (2020), Darussalam (2020), Jarra Jabisa (2022) and Kiang Tabayel (2022).
The Commission was provided with copies of the contracts, which were admitted into records. His written statement, 17 October 2023, his business registration certificate, a copy of the GPPA registration certificate and other documents, was also admitted into evidence.
Testifying before the commission, Bah explained that the Mandina contract was worth D333,050, saying he came to know about it through an advertisement over the radio and applied.
According to him, he later went on a site visit with the director of planning and the council made an advanced payment of D200,000, while the remaining D133,050 was paid following completion.
Witness Bah admitted that the withholding tax was not deducted, saying he only came to know about it in a Gambia Public Procurement Authority (GPPA) training he attended.
As per his testimony, the Darussalam borehole project was worth D450,000, the Jabisa was worth D650,000, and the Tabayel borehole project was valued at D650,000. Witness Bah stated that the price was determined by what they requested or the specifications.
Moreover, Bah acknowledged that he concluded all the projects and accorded the Mansakonko Area Council a year warranty, and there hasn’t been any complaint for damages.
Also, the Commission came to know that Mr Bah drilled the borehole at the Mansankonko Area Council Conference Center, which has the guest houses, to the tune of D319,400.
The Commission also understood from the testimony that no performance guarantee was requested from him by the council, and that after completing the projects, he was not issued with a certificate of completion.
