Written By Pa Nderry M’Bai
Email: panderrymbai@gmail.com
Tel: 919-749-6319
The management of the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) has summoned what they called “an Emergency General Council Meeting” to discuss issues relating to the affairs of the council’s Chief Executive Officer Sainabou Martin Sonko, who has been accused of stealing seven million dalasis from the KMC, Freedom Newspaper can authoritatively report. The meeting, which has been scheduled for Monday July 26th, is also going address the controversy surrounding Ecowtech, the local Gambian company that Deputy Mayor Pa Musa Bah, was alleged to have solicited one million dalasis bribe from, though Ecowtech’s owner Farimang Max Manneh, has denied the allegations. The welfare of the KMC staff association is also on the agenda.
In a letter dated July 23rd, the KMC Clerk Ousman Gaye wrote:
“I am directed to write and invite you to a special General Council meeting slated for Monday 26th July 2021 at 9:00am.”
STORY BACKGROUND
The impromptu KMC meeting followed Freedom Newspaper publications, exposing massive graft at the KMC. The paper has reported that the council’s Chief Executive Officer Sainabou Martin Sonko, had stolen seven million dalasis from the council through fake invoicing, in respect of a plot of land that she had acquired for the council.
The scamming incident happened recently amid repeated calls from the Mayor Talib Bensouda and his Deputy Pa Musa Bah, who have called on CEO Sonko to resign from her position, but the CEO wouldn’t resigned.
According to credible sources close to the Mayor’s office, CEO Sainabou Martin Sonko, has recently processed a land acquisition for the council and she over billed the KMC with an eleven million dalasis (D11million dalasis) invoice when the land in question was bought for four million dalasis (D4million dalasis). She walked away with D7million dalasis, even though she knew that the land was bought for D4million dalasis, sources said.
“The CEO handles council’s procurement(s). What happened is that she used a third-party land dealer to inflate the price of the land she bought for the KMC. On paper, she reported that she bought the land for D11million dalasis. Council later found out that the land was bought for D4million dalasis. The deal went south. She was first asked to refund the stolen money, but she couldn’t refund it. The Mayor Talib Bensouda and his Deputy Pa Musa Bah have been calling on her to resign but she refused. She is still working at the KMC. This is a lady, who has done deals with some of them, they can’t force her to leave, she will expose them,” our source alleged.
Sainabou Martin Sonko is a supporter of the main opposition United Democratic Party. She was hired CEO when Talib Bensouda got elected Mayor of the KMC.
“She recently visited Musa Drammeh, the Lands Minister, to seek the Minister’s backing. She thinks that Musa Drammeh can come to her aid. As we speak, Council hasn’t reported the matter to the police for her to be charged for stealing by clerk. Her case is being treated as an internal issue at the KMC. She has broken law, but no one out there, dares to report the incident to the police,” our source added.
The KMC has recently been engulfed in corruption scandals. The Council’s Deputy Mayor Pa Musa Bah, has been accused of soliciting one million dalasis bribe from Ecotech, a charge the company CEO Farimang Max Manneh denied.
The KMC Mayor Talib Bensouda and his Deputy Pa Musa Bah have been avoiding the Freedom Newspaper. The duos wouldn’t respond to Freedom Newspaper media queries.
Now that the Freedom Newspaper council corruption stories publications have gone viral, Council has decided to summon an emergency meeting to discuss the fate of the accused management members. We will keep you posted with developments. Stay tuned.
The post BREAKING NEWS: KMC MANAGEMENT SUMMONS AN EMERGENCY MEETING TO DISCUSS CEO’S D7M ALLEGED THEFT, ECOWTECH’S ALLEGED BRIBERY SCANDAL; AMONG OTHER ISSUES! appeared first on Freedom Newspaper.