By Mama A. Touray
The Banjul City Council (BCC) has falsified the signatures of two contracts committee members, the LG Commission was told last week.
The Director of Procurement Policy and Operations at the GPPA, Ebrima Sanyang, has been rendering testimonies before the LG Commission for the past three weeks, and on Thursday, he explained to the commission that BCC was found to have forged the signatures of Abdoulie J. Corr and Ida Njie as the council tried to procure trash bins and a vehicle for compacting trash.
Sanyang’s revelations came when the commission observed from BCC’s 13th July 2020, procurement report that both Corr and Njie did not append their signatures to the minutes of the three contracts committee meetings on the procurement issue.
Corr was the BCC’s internal auditor while Njiewas acting as the council’s procurement officer but their signatures were allegedly forged to show they were signatories to the meetings organized to award the contract for the procurement of trash bins and trash compactor.
On the reasons for the refusal of both Corr and Njie to sign the minutes, Sanyang said: “It indicates that they did not agree with what was discussed or it could be(that) people in the contracts committee generated minutes of contracts committee without them and they refused to sign.”
He pointed out that a person may refuse to append a signature to minutes due to a disagreement or absence from the meeting.
The witness explained that the signing of the minutes of contracts committee meetings is dictated by the transparency and accountability principles of procurement. He said it ensures committee members are held accountable for their decisions.
“If these two members didn’t sign, it was not necessary for the authority [GPPA] to approve,” Sanyang said.
It was noted from the report that the two members that did not sign the minutes were key members of the contracts committee but the commission has realized that despite the anomaly, GPPA went ahead and approved the procurement.
The commission’s Chairperson Jainaba Bahenquired about the impact of the absence of the signatures of Corr and Njie as regards the procurement.
Sanyang and another witness Phoday Jaiteh could not provide immediate answers but they promised to consult the GPPA Act for answers.
Meanwhile, Sanyang informed the commission that Ms. Njie came to his office to lodge a complaint about her signature being forged. “According to Ida Njie, her signature was forged after she refused to sign the minutes of the contracts committee meeting,” he narrated.
Chairperson Bah then asked whether it was not necessary for the authority (GPPA) to act.
“It was absolutely essential for the authority to act,” replied GPPA’s Director General PhodayJaiteh. Sittings resume today.
