By Makutu Manneh & Aji Fatou Ceesay
In the ongoing testimony of more witnesses from the Kanifing Municipal Council at the Local Government Commission of Enquiry, Modou A. Njie, the market master, admits instructing Municipal security officers to deposit monies in his bank account.
If readers can recall, Alagie Kanteh, a security officer with the Kanifing Municipal Council, testified before members of the Local Government Commission of Inquiry that Modou A. Njie gave him monies on several occasions amounting to three hundred and ten thousand Dalasi, to deposit in his account at Trust Bank.
Mr. Njie, who appeared yesterday Wednesday, October 2, 2024, before the Commission, admitted sending Officer Gitteh to deposit monies into his account many times. Witness Njie told commissioners that these monies were from his commercial vehicle business and the rents he collected for property owners in Serrekunda, Kotu, and London Corner.
“Before the increment in fuel prices, my chief driver can submit D13,800 a week, and after the increment, he submits D15,000. My other drivers submit their monies to him for onward submission to me,” the witness said.
He presented the Commission with documents of these vehicles which were tendered and admitted as evidence. Two of these vehicles are in the name of his brother and he stated that this is because he intended to travel in 2021 and 2022 and wanted to leave the vehicles with him.
“But one of the vehicles you bought was in 2020 when you had no intention of traveling but the vehicle was in your brother’s name,” Lead Counsel Gomez put to him.
The witness replied that he put the vehicle in his name because he is his brother and believes that when he is not around, the brother would take responsibility, and said his brother is a businessman who sells spare parts.
Counsel Gomez told him that his brother could be richer than him because he does business while he works for the area council.
However, Mr Njie maintained that is because it is family. When asked about how much his salary is, the witness said eighteen thousand Dalasi.
Counsel Gomez then told him: “it is clear you do not have any vehicle in your name and so you cannot claim ownership of it.” The witness said the vehicle is his, adding that he bought it and put it in his brother’s name. Counsel Gomez asked him to give them proof or receipts of him buying the vehicle, but he replied that he does not have any.
The witness continued to say that he bought these cars through loans he took from both the council and the bank, and provided the commission with documents of the loans he took.
Witness Njie explained that for the rent fees he collects from property owners, the one in Kotu and London Corner pays him 10% of the money collected but for the one in Serrekunda, he does it for free.
“The Kotu property is rented for one hundred and eighty thousand Dalasi per year. For Serrekunda and Londer Corner properties, the three-bedroom and parlor are rented for D3,500 while a single room is rented for D500,” he said; that whenever he receives these monies, he deposits them in his Trust Bank current account, adding that sometimes, people also gave him monies for onward delivery to someone.
The witness said whenever he has such money; he keeps it in his bank account before the owners need it.
Several deposit slips of Alagie Gitteh posting monies in the witness’s account were shown to him and he agreed to be the one who sent him.
However, when asked to tell the commission sources of each slip, the witness said he could not remember but knows that it is either from the taxi business, rents, or monies given to him by people for onward delivery.
Counsel Gomez asked him why his chief driver was not depositing monies into his account instead of Alagie Gitteh.
The witness replied: “It is my money. They should submit it to me. I did instruct him to submit it for me.”
Counsel Gomez asked why and the witness replied that it is best known to him because he owned the vehicle.
Counsel Gomez told him that this was a suspicious transaction but the witness disagreed, indicating that he did not have access to Council’s money.
Modou A. Njie explained how he was appointed as car park collector at KMC on 13th March 2003, and said his appointment was terminated when the car park collection was taken from the council and given to the police. He said he was re-appointed in 2008 as a debt collector and was later deployed to the rent unit. The witness said he was a rent manager and was later appointed assistant market manager in 2018, before becoming acting market manager in 2019, and eventually market manager in 2020.
