By: Fatou Krubally
A revenue collector at the Banjul City Council (BCC) Mustapha A.B.E Sarr has admitted that he withheld public funds, amounting to GMD 324,000 for over two years instead of depositing the money into the council’s account.
His testimony at the Local Government Commission of Inquiry on Thursday revealed gaps in financial accountability within the council, raising serious concerns about internal auditing and oversight.
Mr. Sarr, who was appointed as a revenue collector in January 2019, confirmed that he was responsible for collecting trade license fees from businesses in designated zones across Banjul.
When questioned about missing financial records for 2019 and 2020, he struggled to explain, stating that the cash books for those years could not be found. Further inquiries revealed that Mr. Sarr had failed to deposit significant sums of collected revenue between 2021 and 2022. He admitted that instead of handing over the funds to the council’s cashier, he used them for personal matters, hoping to repay later with financial support from relatives abroad.
When asked about the missing GMD 324,000, Mr. Sarr initially expressed uncertainty about the total amount but later acknowledged the findings of an audit report, which confirmed the suppressed revenue. He stated that he had begun repaying the funds, depositing GMD 25,000 in installment GMD 20,000 on October 11, 2024, and GMD 5,000 on October 24, 2024 into the council’s Trust Bank account.
Despite this repayment effort, the commission questioned why it took him over two years to begin returning the money and whether similar practices were common among other collectors. Mr. Sarr declined to comment on the actions of his colleagues, stating, “I cannot answer that.”
The commission directed Mr. Sarr to retrieve the missing cash books from 2019 and 2020 and provide a copy of the letter he received from the council, regarding his repayment plan.
In his testimony, Mr. Sarr confirmed that he had not informed anyone at the council about the missing funds until he was summoned by the commission in 2024. He also revealed that he received a letter from the council demanding repayment but could not provide the response letter he claimed to have written.
Mr. Sarr’s testimony shed light on potential weaknesses in financial management at the Banjul City Council, raising questions about oversight mechanisms for revenue collection. The commission is expected to continue its investigations to determine whether similar financial irregularities have occurred within the council.
The commission has admitted his cash books, receipts, and other documents into evidence as part of its investigation.