Abdoulie Sanneh, head of Business Banking at Standard Chartered Bank Gambia Limited, today testified before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry at the Djembe Hotel in Senegambia.
In his testimony to the commission, Mr Sanneh said: “We were given a list of council names to check whether we hold accounts for them, and we have realised that we only got one active account at the moment, which is Basse Area Council. Banjul City Council we had an account with them but it was closed in 2020. So I was able to get statements for Basse Area Council and then BCC from 2018 to 2020. The rest of the councils – Kuntaur, Mansakonko and Janjangbureh – we had an account with them but they were closed way before 2017.”
Concerning the Banjul Area Council account statement, the witness confirmed to the commission that there was little transaction and activity.
He said: “Likewise, the account of Basse Area Council was also said to be very dormant. Dormant account means accounts that have no transactions for 12 months. So this account is a dormant account, which is on the verge of closure.”
The account was in debit of D6,000 and was also a current account, he told the Commission.
Mr Sanneh also delved into the issue of signatories to the said accounts, saying: “We start with Banjul City Council. The account operates for any two to sign. This is how it is in the system; we don’t have the first name but the second name is AF Othman and DF Bojang, Mustapha Batchilly, O. Badjie and S. Faal. So these are the 5 signatories we have in the system, and it is for any two to sign. As per the signing rules, any two can sign a cheque or any transaction in the bank.
“For Basse Area Council, we have got loads of them. Bakary Laineh, Bubacarr MJ Kanteh, Ebrima K. Sarr, Eduwarr A.K Seckan, Ebrima N Jawneh, M. Marenah, Maudeh S. Baldeh, Momodou S. Jaiteh, Morro Keita, Mustapha F.M. Jobe and Pa Saat Ceesay. This one also is for any two to sign.”
Mr Sanneh’s testimony ended and was, therefore, discharged by the Commission.
