By LGCI
Farimang Mane, the President of ECOT, CH has downplayed the authenticity of the audio purportedly exposing corruption involving the former deputy mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) and the managing director of ECOTECH.
Mane said his company (ECOTECH) was registered in 2018 and engaged in software development. He added that their first contract was in 2020 with the KMC for the ticketing at the dump site. He explained that the idea was sold to the Gambia Ports Authority and the Gambia Ports Authority.
On the contract with the KMC, he said 5 companies applied for the contract, which was advertised. He was asked to bring his bidding documents. He testified that the contract was from 2020 to 2025. He was also asked to bring the agreement his company signed with the KMC.
He said ECOTECH stands to eliminate or minimize corruption and enhance transparency. He added that the project is meant to do that for the KMC.
On the arrangements of the contract, the witness said the KMC will take 60% of any amount beyond the baseline of D1.6 million dalasi every month. ECOTECH will take 40% beyond the baseline. When asked about the baseline, the witness said it was verbally given to them by the KMC. He added that they came to realize that the baseline was false because the Council gets D800,000 to D900,000 each month. He told the Commission that the agreement they had with the KMC was that the Council’s finance department would provide them with financial information so that they would know the baseline, but when that was due, the Council did not provide the details. He testified that former CEO Sainabou Martin-Sonko told ECOTECH that the potential of the KMC is huge because they might extend the contract from the dumpsite to the markets and other areas. Based on that, the witness said they decided to commence the contract.
“Anything above the baseline is going to be shared,” he said.
“They gave us a false baseline,” he added.
The reason he made that claim was that his company did their inquiry after realizing they could not pass the D1.6 million baseline given to them by the KMC. He testified that the false baseline given to his company has impacted their investment in the project.
He testified that the company had 19 inspectors working in the trucks and other supervisors at the dump site. He said they made 40 to 50 million dalasi a year. He said ECOTECH has done a trial for the markets under the KMC and has been realizing over D40 million dalasi.
When asked whether the system is open to fraud, he responded by saying his managing director (Mr Gaston) is in a better position to give answers to the technical aspects.
The witness said some of the collectors do not handle the revenue collection devices with maximum care, resulting in damages to some of the machines. He said ECOTECH provided the KMC with the required devices and also gave them five (5) extra devices.
He said the system operates both online and offline, and they have a tracking system to monitor the activities of the collectors on each device. He added that for a year and six months, the KMC has stopped the service and reverted to the paper ticketing system. He told the Commission that the KMC, despite this, still has in their position his devices. When asked what the contract says about the ownership or possession of the devices, he said the contract is silent on it and does not have a clause dealing with it.
On the leak involving his managing director, Mr Gaston from Tanzania, and the former Deputy Mayor of the KMC (Musa Bah), Mane said he had listened to the audio and he identified the voice of his managing director. He explained that he approached Gaston to discuss the issue of the leaked audio because his company was out to reduce corruption, and he was concerned because his managing director was involved in a corruption allegation. He reiterated he recognized the voice of his managing director, and it was what prompted him to ask Gaston to hear from him. He testified that his managing director informed him that the audio was manipulated.
“I believed in him [referring to Mr Gaston,” the witness said.
He stated that the reason for believing in Gaston was because we live in a modern world and everything is possible with technology.
“Did you launch an internal investigation into this matter?” Counsel SunkaryCamara asked.
The witness said they were interested in finding out who might have come up with the manipulative audio. He added that they were not able to find out who made the audio. He testified that they were not able to establish the motive of the person who prepared the audio, and they did not still know who did it. The witness said he identified the voice of the managing director, but the things he stated therein were not implicating on the side of ECOTECH. He said there was no report prepared for the investigation his company did try to know who made the audio.
The Commission informed him that the issue of the audio will be looked into in detail when the time comes.
Counsel Camara questioned him on some technical aspects of the software and the devices, but the witness maintained his testimony that he did not have answers to them. He said Gaston is better suited to respond to the questions since he deals with the technical aspect.