By Aminata Kuyateh
A branch manager at Vista bank Abdoulie Saidykhan yesterday told the LG Commission that the CEO of Basse Area Council Ousman Touray once blocked a cheque presented for cashing by the council’s finance director, Lamin Suso.
According to Saidykhan, the transaction involved a D50,000 cheque presented by the finance director but during the withdrawal process from the council’s account, the bank received a call from CEO Ousman Touray claiming that he did not authorise the withdrawal.
“The CEO made this call when he said he was alerted by SMS of the withdrawal but could not remember signing such a cheque,” the witness said. He testified that the transaction was terminated and the bank system reversed it.
“The finance director asked us why the transaction was cancelled I told him to call CEO Touray,” the Vista bank official told the commission.
According to the witness, CEO Touray himself came to the bank to request for the cheque presented by finance director Suso but he was told that the cheque has been given back to Suso.
He however informed the commission that the finance director did withdraw D141,000 on 22 September 2022.
The witness also produced four Ecobank checks issued to Alatentu, believed to be the name of a business associated with the finance director. He said the cheques, in the sums of D55,000, D100,000, D30,000 as well as one which is blank, were not dated. The witness said this is because the cheques were never cashed.
In response to a question as to whether D220,000 was withdrawn from the Alatentu account on 18 March 2020, the witness said he cannot remember that.
