By Fatou Bojang
Mustapha A.B.E. Sarr, the former revenue collector for the Banjul City Council (BCC), has admitted to embezzling council funds for personal use. During a Local Government Commission of Inquiry session held on March 18, he disclosed a total cash suppression of 324,000 dalasis. Although he has acknowledged his wrongdoing, Sarr has only repaid a small portion of the total amount, raising concerns about accountability within the local government.
In his testimony, Sarr, employed by the BCC since 2019 and holding a grade 9 education, outlined his responsibilities for collecting trade license fees along prominent streets in Banjul. However, he could only produce cash books for 2021 and 2022, claiming that the earlier records were missing—a statement that was met with skepticism from Counsel Sunkary Camara. The inquiry uncovered discrepancies in Sarr’s cash records, particularly regarding missing entries from February 2021.
When pressed about the cash suppression, Sarr admitted to withholding funds intended for the council, stating, “I used the money” for personal matters, fully aware that it was unauthorized and wrong. To date, he has repaid only 25,000 dalasis of the owed amount, prompting calls for a more thorough investigation into the council’s financial practices.
Additionally, Sarr revealed that he took a year-long leave of absence in March 2023 to run for local government elections under the United Democratic Party (UDP) while still receiving his full salary during his absence from work.
The Local Government Commission of Inquiry, which is currently investigating local councils’ financial and administrative activities from 2018 to 2023, aims to promote greater transparency and accountability in the management of public funds.
