By Makutu Manneh
Mr. Sulayman Jallow, a Revenue Collector at the Brikama Area Council (BAC) while testifying before the ongoing Local Government Commission of Inquiry (LGCI), claimed that his daughter damaged his cash book.
The Local Government Commission of Inquiry continued to hear testimonies of revenue collectors from the Brikama Area Council (BAC), most of which are based on revenue suppression.
The Commission is conducting a full and impartial investigation into the financial and administrative activities of the local government councils between May 2018 and January 2023. It is currently holding an institutional hearing on the Brikama Area Council.
Jallow has submitted his cashbooks from 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023 except for 2021.
He claimed that his 2021 cash book was torn by his seven-year-old daughter when he left the book at his shop to go to work. Jallow said he only has the receipts, but not the recordings.
“How is it that only the entries were torn and the receipts were not because the receipts were attached to the pages of the book? How does that happen?” Commissioner Oreme E. Joiner asked the witness.
Witness Jallow replied that he was not present when his daughter was tearing the pages of the book and that he was just informed about the incident.
The witness is ordered by the commission to go to the IT Department of the council to provide him with his 2021 records and present them before the commission.
Lead Counsel, Patrick Gomez, told the witness that a receipt dated 12 May 2022 indicated that he paid seven thousand, eight hundred and twenty-five Dalasi (D7,825) but he wrote in the receipt “payment not completed.”
He said he paid the money to the Principal Cashier of the council, Lamin K. Kanteh, adding, “Sometimes I do have shortages and sometimes I do overpayments.”
Counsel Gomez also put to the witness that he has made collections without having the entries in his cash books such as a collection of Nine Thousand, Seven Hundred Dalasi (D9,700), Eleven Thousand, Eight Hundred Dalasi (D11,800), Six Thousand, Six Hundred and Seventy-five Dalasi (D6,675) and Eight Thousand, Three Hundred and Fifty Dalasi (D8,350). The counsel added that the witness had also made entries for collections without receipts.
The witness was handed over his cashbook for him to look at it, but he said he did not make entries because when he requested printouts from the IT Unit, they would tell him that they have problems and they cannot print for him. He said the revenue collection device contains the information of his collection and it is accessible to the IT Unit. He added that he needs that printout to make entries in his cash book.
He was further informed that he collected Eleven Thousand and Twenty-five Dalasi (D11,025) and made an understatement of Seven Thousand, Nine Hundred and Seventy-five Dalasi (D7,975) which he did not deposit to the bank.
“I am very surprised about this understatement. Whatever I take from people, I take it to the bank straight, but for this one, I don’t know how it happened,” the witness said. However, he admitted that it was his fault.
Counsel Gomez asked him where the money was and the witness replied that he could not remember. He further admitted that he collected Three Thousand, One Hundred and Fifty Dalasi (D3,150), but did not enter it in his cashbook.
Lead Counsel Gomez said the witness also had some minor understatements for amounts like D25 and D50. The witness admitted. He explained that the reason for the understatement was the failure of the IT Unit to provide him with the printed information.
“I used to make mistakes during calculations,” he said.
The Commission noted that the witness also made an understatement of about D2000. The witness was asked to explain the causes, but he said he did not know what happened to the money.
On the 8th November 2022, the witness collected revenue and made a payment of Three Thousand, Eight Hundred and Twenty-five Dalasi (D3,825) leaving an outstanding balance of D1,875 as an understatement. The witness checked the records and confirmed the understatement.
The Commission also referred to the Lodgement Log of the Brikama Area Council showing that the witness used to collect money and failed to go for auditing to account for the money.
Lead Counsel, Patrick Gomez, referred to some of the days and asked the witness to react to the audit record.
“We will leave your cash book now. We will tabulate everything for you so that you look at it and account for the money. You will come back and provide an explanation,” Counsel Gomez told him.
His records were not in order. He will reappear on Thursday to account for the public funds.
