By Arrete Jatta
The Local Government Commission of Inquiry yesterday ordered Banjul City Council (BCC) audit director, Sanna Sawaneh, to bring along all audit reports presented to him by his juniors when he assumed office.
The Commission believes Sawaneh may be withholding some reports.
According to Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez, Sawaneh did not forward the 2022 audit file he received from his predecessor, Abdoulie J Corr, who had told the commission that he handed over eight audit findings to Sawaneh who admitted bringing only three to the commission.
When asked why he failed to submit all audit findings, Sawaneh claimed he was unaware of the file’s full contents, stating, “The documents in that file were of no use to me.”
He argued that he focused only on recent records and dismissed older documents as outdated.
However, Gomez rejected this explanation, making it clear that the commission was fully aware of the documents in his possession.
“You don’t come here and act like you don’t know what you are doing,” Gomez told him. “You know exactly what you are doing—you just don’t want to produce the documents.”
Sawaneh eventually admitted that he had access to the full file but had chosen not to review or submit certain documents.
Frustrated by his refusal to produce the full records, Commission Chairperson Jainaba Bah ordered Sawaneh to leave the hearing and return with all withheld documents.
He was specifically instructed to provide all 2022 audit findings, as well as four additional reports he had prepared since assuming office.
“You cannot sit here and tell us you do not know what you received,” Bah told him. “Go back and bring the full documents.”
Sawaneh denied any attempt to conceal evidence but agreed to comply with the order.
Earlier in the proceedings, Sawaneh admitted: “I am only interested in moving forward, not looking at the past,”
Gomez strongly criticised this approach, arguing that it demonstrated incompetence.
“You should be interested in how the institution was managed before your tenure,” he said. “Ignoring past reports means you are not doing your job properly.”
Commissioner Oreme J Joiner also questioned Sawaneh’s reluctance to examine previous audits, pointing out that unresolved financial issues had been carried over from past years.
“Issues from previous reports have not been corrected,” Joiner said. “To understand what has happened, you should have reviewed those audit reports before taking any action.”
Sawaneh ultimately conceded that he had not used past reports as a reference.
Additional information from LG Commission’s communications unit
