By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT
The Ministry of Lands, Regional Government and Religious Affairs has written a letter dated 4th January 2022 to the Mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) notifying them of a “Commission of Inquiry into allegations of fraud and malpractice at the KMC from April 2018 to date”.
According to the letter the Commission of Inquiry is constituted “in accordance with section 151 (1) (a) of the Local Government Act, 2002″ will also look “at other connected matters as reported to his office by the Lord Mayor, the CEO and the special inspection report”.
UDP Petition Indicts Lands Minister
KMC Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda is a key member of the United Democratic Party (UDP) and an Executive Member of the UDP which lost to President Adama Barrow’s National Peoples Party (NPP) in the recently concluded 4th December 2021 Presidential Election. The Minister of Lands Musa Drammeh is implicated in a petition filed at the Supreme Court by the UDP against the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and President Adama Barrow.
According to the petition “in a bid to influence and corruptly induce the voters in the country, the Minister of Lands and Regional Government, Mr Musa Drammeh, paid the sum of GDM1,000,000 (D1 Million) or thereabouts to the Alkalolu and the village development committees of several villages during the November 2021 or thereabouts when the Respondent Adama Barrow was on campaign in the regions”.
Another perceived inducement flagged in the UDP Petition alleged that “the President in his campaign made promises to the Alkalolu that they will be appointed and paid salary of D3,000 per month”.
However, the material arguments of the petition were never discussed in court as President Barrow’s Lawyers defeated the UDP Petition due to technicalities. In the end, the Supreme Court ordered the UDP to pay President Barrow D100,000, however, President Barrow’s Lawyers were also ordered to pay D10,000 to the UDP for time-wasting.
Letter to KMC from Lands on Fraud Inquiry
The Letter from the Ministry of Lands indicates that the Commission of Inquiry will include “Omar Cham” as the Chairperson, “Momodou Y M Sallah and Mamsait Jallow” and that “the Minister shall appoint a Secretary to the Commission” meanwhile “the Commission shall regulate its own procedure”.
One of the key functions of the Commission is to investigate “the circumstances surrounding the loan facility given by AGIB Bank Limited to the Staff Welfare Association of the KMC in the sum of Twelve Million Dalasi (D12,000,000)”.
According to the Commission’s Terms of Reference, one of their key functions is to “ascertain the alleged soliciting of bribe by the former Deputy Mayor of the Council, Mr Musa Bah and the Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Sainabou Martin Sonko, from the officials of ECOTECH and ALMOT”.
In a publication back in July 2021, it was reported that the Deputy Mayor had resigned in the wake of growing public concerns of corruption. Mayor Bensouda had announced that his resignation was accepted however, he did not comment on his involvement in the D12 million corruption scandal.
KMC React to Minister of Lands KMC Fraud Inquiry
Since the Commission’s decision to commence a Commission of Inquiry on starting with the commencement of Mayor Bensouda’s term (April 2018), many observers have called it a witch hunt against President Barrow’s opponents.
Former Minister of Information Demba Ali Jawo opines that “even the dumbest person knows that the objective of the commission of the inquiry set up by the Minister of Lands and Regional Governments for the KMC is to do everything they can to wrest the Council from the United Democratic Party (UDP) and get rid of Talib Ahmed Bensouda, to bring the richest municipality under their control”.
According to the former Point Newspaper Editor, “it is quite obvious that getting control of the KMC is worth anything to this government. Despite being in control of the executive, and most probably poised to take control of the legislature, they will never be satisfied until they capture the biggest and richest municipality because that is where their main interest lies”.
Since the letter of notification, the KMC has reacted by urging President Adama Barrow “to direct the Minister to desist from his current cause of action which is an impediment to the efforts of the Council to serve the best interests of the people of KMC”.
A KMC Resolution dated 11th January 2022 notes that the Council’s concerns of “the failure of the Minister to support Council’s zero stance against corruption, and to allow the Gambia Police Force and Local Government Service Commission to look into the matters referred to them”.
Another concern raised by the KMC Resolution highlighted “the failure of the Minister to notify the Council and provide them with the purported CEO’s report or the purported special inspection reports to afford the Council an opportunity to consider and if necessary, address their content”.
Given the reasons documented in the KMC Resolution the council is of the view that “the failure of the Minister to observe the rule of law, natural justice procedures and good governance in his dealing with the Council; which suggest that he has a special interest or hidden agenda”.
According to KMC Officials, they are disappointed “with the actions of the Minister which” they believe are both “counterproductive to the development agenda of the Council as well as seek to undermine the Council’s firm stance against corruption”.
In their view, the Commission of Inquiry instituted by the Minister has “been instituted in bad faith and in abuse of his powers under the Act”.
