A controversial D1.29 million streetlight contract—awarded without bidding, documentation, or regulatory approval—stood at the center of the testimony of Mustapha Batchilly Monday. The former Banjul City Council Chief Executive Officer Batchilly admitted to a string of procurement violations and unauthorized spending decisions during his tenure.
Testifying before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry, Batchilly said the streetlight procurement was initiated and negotiated directly by Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe, bypassing all procurement procedures. The deal, awarded to a Senegalese vendor, was executed without any tender process, no price validation, and no involvement of the procurement unit.
When pressed by Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez, Batchilly confessed that the transaction proceeded even after the Gambia Public Procurement Authority (GPPA) had rejected the request. “No procedures were followed,” he said. “We just acted.”
The GPPA Act mandates that public contracts above a certain threshold must go through a competitive bidding process or, at minimum, obtain multiple quotations. But Batchilly admitted that “not a single quotation” was received for the streetlight deal, and no procurement plan, market survey, or internal checks were in place. Despite the GPPA’s disapproval, the payment was processed in full, and no one within the Council raised an internal query.
“I was vulnerable,” Batchilly told the Commission, stating that he acted under pressure. Asked whether the procurement was worth the cost or whether any assessment was done, he said none was carried out.
The streetlight deal is now emblematic of broader systemic failures under Batchilly’s leadership. The Commission revealed a pattern of unauthorized expenditures and political interference, much of it linked to the Mayor’s directives.
Under the CityLink Banjul-Ostend project—a partnership funded by the European Union—over D2.3 million was disbursed for REFELA-related activities, including town hall meetings, T-shirts, banners, media outreach, and community engagements. Batchilly acknowledged that procurement violations. Gomez attributed the town hall meeting as a political initiative of the Mayor, which does not form part of the project.
“There was no contract, no tender, no value-for-money check,” he said. When asked about the T-shirts, which cost D204,000, Batchilly admitted he had no idea what was printed on them. He also confirmed that REFELA events were not included in the CityLink project’s official budget and were not aligned with the initiative’s core objectives.
“These were not in the work plan. They were political,” Lead Counsel Gomez remarked. “Yes,” Batchilly replied that the expenses instructed by Mayor Lowe but formed part of the project budget lines. He was asked to provide evidence.
Another major lapse involved the disbursement of D900,000 for what was termed “visibility” and outreach activities. The payment was approved by Batchilly even after the Director of Finance, Momodou Camara, refused to endorse the transaction, citing a lack of supporting documents.
In response, Mayor Lowe ordered Camara’s removal from the CityLink Steering Committee—a move that Batchilly acknowledged was outside her legal authority. Nevertheless, the payment went ahead.
The Commission also examined a payment of D232,000 made to a private vendor for accounting software that was never delivered. Despite the breach of contract, no efforts were made to retrieve the funds or initiate legal action. “We just paid them. The software never came,” Batchilly said. No invoice, delivery report, or procurement record exists for the transaction.
Additionally, Batchilly authorized D297,000 in personal loans—D33,000 each to nine members of the CityLink Steering Committee—without a supporting budget line. He admitted the decision had no basis in the CityLink framework and described it as inappropriate. So far, only D3,000 has been recovered from each member, leaving a balance of D30,000 per person still unpaid.
Throughout the session, Batchilly frequently portrayed himself as uninformed or subject to external pressure. He acknowledged lacking formal training in procurement regulations and financial management. However, Lead Counsel Gomez reminded him of his ultimate responsibility as the Council’s accounting officer and he has at least 23 years experience heading councils. “You had the authority. You just didn’t use it,” Gomez told him. “Yes,” Batchilly replied.
Two written statements by Batchilly—dated May 4, 2024, and January 22, 2025—were admitted into evidence. The Commission has also requested Banjul City Council’s bank records from Trust Bank, EcoBank, and BSIC to trace fund disbursements and determine whether public resources were misused.
