By MakutuManneh
Yankuba Kujabi, the market master at the Brikama market has admitted in his testimony before members of the Local Government Commission of Inquiry that he has given revenues brought in by revenue collectors to Alagie Jeng, the Finance Director of the Council.
Mr. Kujabi made this revelation when he was asked about the 2020 Internal Audit Query for unaccounted funds amounting to sixty-three thousand and seventy thousand dalasi.
Witness Kujabi informed the Commission that this was during days he received and kept collections from revenue collectors, adding that during this time, Finance Director Jeng used to instruct him to give him money from the collections so he could fund council activities such as funerals, naming ceremonies and weddings of council staff. He further said that he has not kept a record of the money he gave the Finance Director.
The witness said after collection, market collectors would bring money to him to take to the bank.
“When Alagie Jeng requests cash, I give him the amount as requested and take the balance to the bank and the revenue collectors whose monies were taken would go to the Council to collect receipts from the Principal Cashier,” he said.
He testified that at the time, he did not know that his action was wrong, which he knew from the proceedings of the Commission. He said he was giving these monies to Director Jeng because he was his senior. He said he has been the Market Master of the Brikama Market since 2014 when he first acted before he was confirmed later.
At this juncture, the written statement of the witness dated 27th October 2023, was tendered and admitted as evidence. The witness said he never operated a cash book and was asked the type of recording he used as a Market Master to record the collected revenue he received. In response, the witness said he is not a revenue collector, but supervises market collectors in Brikama. He disclosed that there were 25 revenue collectors under him.
On the duties of a market master, he said he performs a supervisory role over market collectors and keeps records of the collectors present and those absent. The witness testified that he used to receive cash from market collectors, adding that the system he found was maintained. He said the system was that collectors would deposit three days of collected revenue from Monday to Thursday, and four days of collection from Thursday to Sunday, to the market manager for safekeeping. He testified that the 3 day collections are deposited on Thursday, and the four-day collections are deposited on Monday.
He explained that the market manager would write the amount he received from the collectors on a piece of paper and attach the paper to the cash received. The witness said the market master is responsible for taking the cash received to the bank, adding that in the absence of the market manager, he would receive the cash from the collectors and deposit it in the bank. He explained that the deposits in the bank are made in the name of the collectors, and the receipts are handed to them to take to the Council for auditing and receipting.
The witness said former CEO ModouJonga intervened to stop the system, and they are no longer allowed to keep cash with them for days. He added that collectors are allowed to deposit all by themselves instead of the market master.
The witness said there is a canteen register containing the names of people with canteens within the market and the amount they should pay, and other relevant details. He added that the same applies to markets in Lamin and Busumbala, and testified that he used to keep the CRBR book that contains the names of the revenue collectors issued with receipt books and other information related to the receipt books.
Sitting continues.
