By Makutu Manneh
Anna Jatta, another revenue collector at the Brikama Area Council (BAC), admitted before members of the Local Government Commission of Inquiry (LGCI) that she spent twenty-nine thousand, five hundred Dalasi (D29,000) out of one million, five hundred and forty-two thousand, five hundred Dalasi (D1,542,500) from the revenue she collected on behalf of Council between April and July 2022.
Ms Jatta acknowledges this after Brikama Area Council’s Internal Audit findings reported that Ms. Jatta did not deposit twenty-nine thousand, five hundred Dalasi (D29,000), out of more than one and a half million Dalasi she collected within the said period.
Ms. Jatta admits the findings of the Internal Audit department of BAC, saying at the time, she was sick and was supposed to undergo operation. She added that her work schedule was not consistent because she sometimes stays away for a week or more, without going to work.
When asked by Deputy Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez if she used the money for her operation, the witness replied in the positive.
“Ms. Jatta, you know what you did was wrong. This is public funds and you were supposed to deposit it in the bank. You were not supposed to use it,” Counsel Patrick Gomez told the witness who concurred.
Counsel Gomez further confronted the witness with variances in the revenue she collected and the amounts she deposited into Council’s account, explaining that in 2022, she collected thirteen thousand, five hundred Dalasi (D13,500), but deposited seven thousand Dalasi (D7,000) only. The counsel further said that in another transaction, she collected D53,000 in August 2022 and deposited only D52,000; and that in the same month, she collected nine thousand, five hundred Dalasi (D9500), but deposited only seven thousand Dalasi (D7,000). Counsel Gomez showed her that there were other transactions in the cash book which showed the same trend.
In response, Ms. Jatta admitted that she was not depositing the whole sum. At this juncture, it was put to her that she collected another eighty-three thousand Dalasi (D83,000) in June 2023, but deposited only forty thousand Dalasi (D40,000), meaning a balance of forty-three thousand Dalasi (D43,000) was not deposited by her.
The witness admitted and stated that she later deposited fifteen thousand Dalasi (D15,000) and thirteen thousand, five hundred Dalasi (D13,500) towards this amount, but Counsel Gomez told her that this amounted to a total deposit of sixty-eight thousand, five hundred Dalasi (D68,500), meaning that it does not cover the whole sum she collected.
Counsel Gomez asked her what happened to the remaining balance and why would she not be depositing the total amount of monies she collects.
“I use the money,” the witness answered.
“Why will you do that?” Counsel Gomez asked.
The witness was silent and did not respond to the question.
“When I look at your cash book, I see so many instances of shortages,” Counsel Gomez said.
“Yes,” the witness answered.
“You have shortages almost every time,” Counsel Gomez said.
“Yes,” the witness admitted.
The witness said she obtained an advanced diploma in IMIS from Strafford College in 2001. The resident of Lamin said her first work with the Councils was at the Janjanbureh Area Council in 1999 as a Secretary, but was later transferred to Brikama Area Council in 2001 as secretary attached at the office of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The 45-year-old woman said she took a voluntary retirement in 2006 due to family issues, but applied to return to Brikama Area Council in 2016 and was successful. She said she was deployed to the Rates Unit as a collector and posted at Lamin and Mandinaring. She said she was transferred to Trade and License Unit covering Brikama Suma Kunda jurisdiction, and said in 2018, she was the collector in charge of rates and taxes, and in 2019, she was redeployed to the licensing unit. She testified that the Trade License Unit is under the Finance Department of the Brikama Area Council and they were responsible for collecting revenue from shopkeepers.
Sitting continues.
