By Mama A. Touray
Head of Commercial Banking at ECO Bank Gambia Limited, Francis Jatta on Tuesday appeared before the ongoing Local Government Commission of Inquiry at Djembe Hotel in Senegambia.
Jatta in his testimony told the Commission that four councils are having accounts with ECO Bank the councils include Basse Area Council, Kanifing Municipal Council, Kerewan Area Council, and Brikama Area Council.
Francis said Basse Area Council operates three (3) accounts – that’s a current, savings account and a covid-19 related account. Disclosing that OusmanTouray and LaminTouray are the signatories to the savings and current accounts while Youba Jawara, Chief Executive Officer Ousman Touray, and Lamin Suso are the signatories to the Covid account.
Jatta explained to the commission that the mandate for signatories is that any two of the signatories can sign for withdrawal and that the statement of account for the Covid Account covered the period from 21st October 2019 to 31st August 2021.
The statement of account for the Covid Account was tendered and admitted into the records as an exhibit.
Francis informed the Commission that Basse Area Council does not have a loan account with ECO Bank and also not having an overdraft facility with them.
The Lead Council tendered the account statements for the current and savings accounts. Both account statements and the supporting documents were admitted into the records and marked as exhibits. The Current Account of the Basse Area Council covered 21st October 2019 to 31st August 2021, it was tendered and admitted into the records as an exhibit. The savings account, the witness said, was opened in September 2022, and the statement covered 1st August 2022 to 2nd June 2023.
Testifying on the Kerewan area council, Mr. Jatta said the “Kerewan Area Council has a single account with ECO bank which is a current account; the signatories are the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Samba NK Leigh, and the Finance Director, Abdoulie Khan. The requirement for signatories is any two”.
The statement of account for the Kerewan Area Council covered the period from 1st May 2018 to 1st June 2023. It was tendered before the Commission and was admitted into the records and marked as Exhibit.
However, Francis Jatta testified that Brikama Area Council runs two current accounts with ECO Bank and that in addition to these two accounts, the Staff Credit Union also has two accounts.
The witness said his bank has a borrowing facility with the Brikama Area Council. He promised to file the records with the Commission.
“The Brikama Area Council deposited Seven Million Dalasi (D7, 000,000) to secure the overdraft facility, and the signatories to the Brikama Area Council’s two accounts are CEO Modou Jonga, Finance Director EbrimaSawaneh, AlagieNyang, Mam SaitJallow, Yusupha Jallow and Tamba S. Kinteh. The signatories to the Staff Credit Union accounts are Lamin L. M. Marr, BakaryJadama, and Dembo Bojang”. He told the commission.
The two Brikama Area Council accounts and the two Staff Credit Union accounts were tendered by Counsel Yakarr Cox and admitted into the records by Chairperson Jainaba Bah as exhibits.