By Arret Jatta
The Local Government Commission of Inquiry yesterday asked former assistant Public Relations Officer of the Banjul City Council (BCC) Fatou Mbenga, to explain the multiple cash requests she had made on several occasions.
The witness had told investigators that when requests are being processed for payments dealing with the media, they would be in her name on behalf of the mayor through a check, which she would withdraw.
When asked by Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez whether she had a close working relationship with the mayor, the witness said she did.
“I asked this because it appears you were making so many payment requests on behalf of the mayor, why was that the case?” Counsel further asked the witness.
The witness explained that she made the requests under the instruction of the CEO or the mayor.
“So what do you normally do with the monies once you withdraw them?” And please tell us if there are different categories of payments, for instance, payments to the media,” Counsel told the witness.
“After each activity, I would pay the media houses and media outlets,” she said.
“We have a payment voucher for D120,000 for the TV channel’s live streaming of the mayor’s town hall meeting at Banjul North on the 26 March 2022.
Also, a sum of D200,000 is disbursed as cash imprests to print T-shirts for the same town hall meeting, while a D25,000 payment was made to the media in connection with a town hall meeting,” Counsel Gomez said.
He continued to reveal that another D20,000 request was made for a present or gift package, and D8,150, request for cost of credit and data bundle for the mayor.
The commission revealed that these and many other requests were made by Ms. Mbenga.
“Do you retire these monies?” Counsel asked.
“Yes, I have their retirements,” she responded before tendering the retirement receipts.
The witness was excused to look at the retirements and match them with the vouchers that were admitted into evidence and return the next day to continue her testimony.
