By: Alieu Ceesay
Farimang Mane, the President of ECOTECH, appeared before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry to defend his company against allegations of corruption. These allegations stemmed from leaked audio recordings involving his managing director and the former Deputy Mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC). The inquiry, held on October 29, 2024, addressed concerns regarding transparency and accountability in local government transactions.
During his testimony, Mane spoke candidly about his concerns regarding the audio. “I recognized the voice of my managing director,” he acknowledged, explaining that he confronted his managing director, Mr. Gaston, over the allegations. Mane stated that Gaston reassured him the audio was manipulated. “I believed in him,” Mane said, citing his trust in Gaston and the advanced potential for digital manipulation in today’s technological age. While ECOTECH conducted an internal probe, Mane admitted that they “were not able to find out who made the audio.” No report was prepared regarding the investigation.
Mane, whose company was registered in 2018 and secured a contract with KMC in 2020 for ticketing operations at the Bakoteh dumpsite, defended ECOTECH’s role in advancing transparency within the KMC. “ECOTECH stands to eliminate or minimize corruption and enhance transparency,” he affirmed, noting that his team of 19 inspectors and additional supervisors helped manage KMC’s revenue collection.
However, Mane testified that his company faced challenges with the contract, initially based on a projected baseline of D1.6 million per month. He stated, “They gave us a false baseline,” elaborating that ECOTECH later discovered the council was generating between D800,000 and D900,000 monthly, not the expected D1.6 million. He claimed that this misrepresentation of revenue potential negatively impacted ECOTECH’s investment in the project, stating, “Anything above the baseline is going to be shared.”
When questioned by Counsel Sunkary Camara, Mane admitted that the contract was silent on ownership of collection devices, which led to further complications. He shared that despite halting their services, the KMC retained ECOTECH’s devices and reverted to a paper ticketing system. “For a year and six months, the KMC has stopped the service and reverted to the paper ticketing system,” Mane testified.
The inquiry also called Marrie Senghore, a civil engineer and managing director of Bajam Enterprise Limited, who testified about her company’s two contracts with KMC: the fencing of the Bakoteh dumpsite and the construction of the Kanifing Municipal Library. Senghore revealed that Bajam Enterprise won both contracts after bidding and subsequent negotiations with the council. However, she acknowledged gaps in standard procedures, such as a lack of records for site visits and bid security deposits. Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez reminded her that “it was her responsibility to keep records as required by law.”
Senghore disclosed that the fencing contract, valued at D8.5 million, was completed in 2021 following a delay. As part of its inquiry, the commission has requested further documents, including Bajam Enterprise’s account statements from May 2018 to January 2023.
As the commission continues its investigation, Mane and Senghore’s testimonies are expected to provide insights into transparency practices within the KMC and raise questions about accountability in municipal contracts and revenue management.
