On Thursday, October 12, 2023, the Councillors unanimously passed resolutions at the fifth general council meeting of the year to dismiss the new Acting Chief Executive Officer and Finance Director of the Council over financial thefts.
This came following reports of the findings made by the Audit Subcommittee of the Council revealing that a withdrawal of D10,000 (ten thousand Dalasis) on 31st July 2023, made by one Alieu Jawo was not supported with any voucher or an activity headline.
In addition, a withdrawal of D40,000 (forty thousand Dalasis) on 12th August 2023, made by the new Acting Chief Executive Officer Bai Gibba Sallah in collaboration with the Finance Director Lamin Jassey was not supported with any voucher or activity headline.
The Committee considered these withdrawals as robbery and illegal after the Acting CEO admitted and took full responsibility for the malpractices. The Committee recommended the repayment of these monies and called for the dismissal of the two officials with immediate effect.
Further, the Councillors passed a resolution that a threshold from zero to one million (0 to 1,000,000) of any financial transaction should not be approved without the consent of the Chairman and any amount beyond the maximum threshold shall be approved by only the General Council.
Meanwhile, the Council wishes to reiterate that the former Finance Director Lamin Suso and Chief Executive Officer Ousman Touray have been sent on administrative leave since June 2023 following an earlier resolution passed by the General Council amidst their adverse mentioning in the financial malpractices of the former Council.
The Basse Area Council under the leadership of Chairman Mahamadou Ceesay wants to reaffirm its commitment to ensuring a transparent and corrupt-free Council in its quest to restore the trust and confidence of the public in the institution.
