By: Fatou krubally
Former Kuntaur Area Council CEO Pa Fansu Darboe has admitted to a series of corrupt practices during his tenure, in a stunning revelation at the Local Government Commission of Inquiry on Thursday.
Darboe confessed to bypassing procurement rules, approving unlawful financial practices, and inflating budget figures to meet legal requirements.
Under questioning by Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez, Darboe admitted that contracts were often awarded without competitive bidding, with chairman Saihou Jawara handpicking contractors. Despite regulations prohibiting the chairman’s involvement in the contracts committee, Darboe acknowledged that the practice continued unchecked. “It is wrong for the Chairman to sit in the contracts committee,” Gomez asserted, to which Darboe reluctantly admitted.
Furthermore, Darboe confirmed authorizing revenue collectors to make payments directly from their collections before depositing funds in the bank, a direct violation of financial regulations. While he justified this unlawful practice by citing logistical challenges, he admitted knowing it was wrong at the time.
The most shocking revelation came when Darboe confessed to purposely inflating budget figures to meet the legal requirement of 60% revenue projection. The chairperson of the Commission Jainaba Bah highlighted a budget projection of 17 million dalasi despite collecting only six million the previous year. Darboe admitted to deliberately overstating revenue estimates, stating, “We put amounts in the budget just to comply with the law. The budget is unrealistic.”
Darboe openly acknowledged the deceit, saying, “The estimations there are very incorrect. We did that just to comply with the law. We know we cannot collect that.”
The commission’s inquiry continues to uncover more about the depth of corruption within the Kuntaur Area Council during Darboe’s tenure. The shocking revelations from his testimony have brought to light the extent of corrupt practices and budget manipulation that occurred under his leadership.
