By Arret Jatta
Lamin YFA Mboge the proprietor of Mbulmano Construction, testified at the Local Government Commission of Inquiry on Monday saying he paid a bribe of over D100,000 to officials of the Kuntaur Area Council (KAC) after being awarded a contract.
Mr Mboge said he secured two contracts from the Kuntaur Area Council valued at over D400,000 and D600,000 to drill boreholes.
He testified that he was introduced to the council’s leadership by Wally Ndimbalang, a councillor representing Nyanga Bantang Ward. The officials he dealt with, he said, included the council chairman, the chief executive officer, the director of finance, and the director of planning and development.
During his testimony, Mboge said that while he did not initially offer kickbacks, it was common practice for officials to solicit payments in exchange for contracts.
“If you are awarded a contract, you are expected to deliver to expectation, but that is not happening, the officials would ask for bribes, which they call paying under the table,” he explained.
He recounted that during negotiations, council officials demanded 40 percent of his contract’s value, leading to a tense back-and-forth before he ultimately agreed to pay D100,000.
The payment, he stated, had a significant impact on his ability to procure materials for the project.
Mboge testified that he handed the money to Lamin Kujabi, the director of planning, for distribution among senior officials, including the chairman, the CEO, and the director of finance.
“It is a collective thing, the chairman, the CEO, and all others are involved. Lamin Kujabi is just the one on the front line, but all others were involved,” he claimed.
He said the final payment was made in the presence of his technician, Pierre Mendy.