By Makutu Manneh
Seedy Sanneh, the Acting Finance of the Mansakonko Area Council testified before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry that Bai Gibbi Sallah, the former Finance Director of the Council was using unofficial GTR books for the council’s Conference Centre in Mansakonko.
The official GTR books were printed by GPPC, but the witness said Finance Director Sallah procured his own GTR books and was using them at the Area Council’s Conference Center.
“When the council opened its conference center this was the time he brought these receipts,” he said.
He said when he saw this GTRs he cautioned the Finance Director that it was wrong to use the GTR books that are unofficial and he also informed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pa Sait Ceesay about it. He added that the CEO and the Finance Director were in this activity together and they did not listen to him when he advised them to stop using the unofficial receipts. The witness stated that it was unlawful to use unauthorised and unofficial GTR books for transparency and accountability purposes. He informed the Commission that the Finance Director and the CEO were displeased with him after he advised them, and that was the reason why he kept silent about the matter.
When asked who was given the unofficial receipt books to collect revenue at the Conference Centre, the witness said the Finance Director and the CEO gave the books to one Modou Saidybah, who was at the conference center as a collector. The witness said when Seedy K. Touray replaced Pa Sait Ceesay, he advised the new CEO about it but Seedy K. Touray did not adhere to his advice. He informed the Commission that the only time the Mansakonko Area Council stopped using the unofficial receipts was around January or February 2023. He stressed that in the past there were no cashbooks at the Mansakonko Area Council, but when CEO Touray came he introduced it and they are now using it.
When asked by Lead Counsel Yakarr Cox if he was aware of the audit report that raised the duplicate GTRs that was used at the conference center, he said he was not but he was informed about this by Modou Saidybah, the revenue collector at the conference center.
“Is it possible that the director of finance will not enter his own duplicate GTRs in the cashbook?” Counsel Cox asked.
“No, he does not enter it,” the witness said.
The witness said Finance Director Bai Gibbi Sallah has never entered any of the collections done by Modou Saidybah in the cash book.
“So the collected monies did not come to the council?” Counsel Cox asked.
“I did not know that because I did not involve myself since I was not happy with what they were doing,” he said.
The witness said he is called the Finance Manager and he is occupying the office, but he was not given an employment contract.
