Basse Area Council Finance Director, Lamin Suso has been accused by various witnesses at the Commission of taking physical cash from revenue collectors, which are unaccounted for, although established regulations and policies state that revenue collectors are supposed to deposit revenue collected to the bank.
The witness also admitted giving money to the Finance Director.
Mr Suso also testified that once, he applied for a loan from the council but Finance Director Lamin Suso and Finance Manager Malafi Badjie informed him that the council lacked funds to give him.
He further explained that he took the application from them and submitted it to the office of the Chief Executive Officer, adding: “If you leave it there, they will frustrate you by telling you that there is no money in the council’s account, and [then] they will go ahead to receive the money in your name. That was why I took the paper from them because if I left it there, they would have received it and put the money in their pockets”.
The witness also informed the Commission that he was suspended for a month after he retook the application for a loan from the aforementioned individuals. He said he had evidence that the Finance Director used to receive loan money in the name of applicants.
“The Finance Director manipulated us,” he said.
The reason for his suspension, according to the witness, was because he embarrassed his line manager. The witness even alleged that the Finance Director and the Finance Manager used to carry out revenue collections.
“Even in my area, they used to collect revenue. I am fully aware of it,” he testified.
