Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Babucarr Fofana, former regional coordinator for the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) in the Kuntaur administrative area, appeared before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry on Monday, February 3, 2024, to address questions over his handling of a 100,000-dalasi fund from the Kuntaur Area Council.

The funds, earmarked for COVID-19 relief, were instead categorized by Fofana as general disaster relief. “I did not see it as a COVID-19 relief fund. I see it as a disaster relief fund,” he told the commission.

Fofana argued that while COVID-19 funds are intended strictly for pandemic-related support, disaster relief covers broader emergencies. He cited three major disasters in the Kuntaur region in 2019, including floods and windstorms, which he noted coincided with the pandemic.

When pressed on his role in handling the funds, Fofana admitted to receiving the check from the Kuntaur Area Council but maintained that financial management was the responsibility of the regional disaster management committee. He described the committee as a legally established body chaired by the regional governor and including representatives from agriculture, education, and health sectors. His role, he emphasized, was coordination.

Under further questioning, Fofana disclosed that the total amount received was 200,000 dalasis—100,000 from the Kuntaur Area Council and another 100,000 from the Janjanbureh Area Council. He stated that upon leaving office, 186,000 dalasis remained in the committee’s account at Trust Bank, which had three signatories: the governor, the regional disaster management coordinator, and the regional chief executive officer.

“The total was two hundred thousand dalasis. When I left, one hundred and eighty-six thousand remained in the account,” he said, adding that the only expenditure from the fund was for relief efforts following a windstorm in Sami Pachonki that claimed the life of a woman.

When asked whether the funds had been audited, Fofana admitted they had not. He later submitted the committee’s account statement to the commission, which was accepted as evidence.

A tense exchange followed when Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez challenged Fofana’s interpretation of NDMA’s mandate, arguing that the law does not explicitly authorize the agency to take funds allocated to local councils.

“You can coordinate without taking money,” Gomez stated.

“Yes, you can coordinate without taking money,” Fofana conceded, though he maintained that disaster relief activities fell under NDMA’s jurisdiction.

Gomez pushed back, insisting that the funds were designated for COVID-19 relief, not disaster management. “The money was given to the area council for COVID-19. The money given to you, you can say, is for disaster. But for this fund, it was given to the area councils for COVID-19. We stick by that,” Gomez asserted.

The hearing concluded with Gomez describing NDMA’s acceptance of the funds as improper and demanding evidence of expenditures. The commission also heard that Fofana’s successor had made significant withdrawals from the account after his departure.