By Arret Jatta
A former Finance Director at the Banjul City Council (BCC), Momodou Camara, yesterday returned to the Local Government Commission of Inquiry to give more testimonies on the council’s financial management.
Camara, who served for a period under Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe, described the system at BCC as disorganised and intentionally designed to operate without proper checks and balances.
According to Camara, the mayor’s office wielded significant influence over financial decisions, often bypassing standard procedures and she was calling the shots in council
Camara further alleged that the mayor approved all major financial decisions at the council. “CEO Batchilly is powerless. He had no say. The mayor is responsible for everything,” he alleged.
Camara added that his role as Director of Finance was often limited to facilitating payments without being consulted on major decisions.
He expressed frustration over the lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities between the Mayor and the Chief Executive Officer.
“It’s like a blame-game situation,” he said, suggesting that the Local Government Act needs to be revisited to clearly define these roles.
However Camara himself came under scrutiny when Lead Counsel Gomez reminded him that the mayor had said she was relying on technocrats like himself and the CEO to follow due process.
“And Mr Camara, you have paid Fatou Mbenga hundreds of thousands of dalasis knowing well that the transactions were not in line. You also paid monies for donations that did not pass proper procedure. You authorised and even wrote requests for procurement of LED knowing it is out of line. What are you talking about now?”, Lead Counsel Gomez told the witness.
He further told Camara that the system at the BCC was intentionally disorganised to make it a free flowing institution where people just operate as if the institution is theirs and they profited from it.
The commission also heard about specific projects, including the construction of an abattoir and toilets at Crab Island School.
Camara claimed that D11 million was spent on the abattoir and D3 million on the toilets without following proper procurement rules.
However, CEO Batchilly disputed these claims, stating that the amounts mentioned were incorrect, although he acknowledged that the projects did not adhere to procurement procedures.
The witness further described the working environment at the council as a “war zone” and said that he eventually decided to resign due to the stress and pressure of working in such an environment.
