More than seven Brikama Area Council (BAC) employees, previously suspended, are to return to work immediately, under a directive from the Local Government Service Commission. The council initially suspended these individuals on suspicion of stifling council revenue, but the Commission’s investigation revealed no wrongdoing on their part.
The Commission named the seven license collectors as Binta Fatty, Famara Sanyang, Alfusainey Colley, Buba Jabang, Modou L. Saidykhan, Assan Jassey, and Kebba Jammeh. As a result, the Commission has directed them to promptly resume their individual roles.
The Local Government Service Commission has, however, recommended the termination of services for Bai Sait Jeng and Muhammed Ebrima Jallow due to their appointment without due process.
“Since the circumstances surrounding such appointments was wrong, their services should be terminated immediately and their names removed from Council’s payroll,” the directive reads.
The commission also chastised Finance Director Alhagie Jeng and Administration Director Ebrima Sawaneh for wrongful appointments, suspending Jeng without pay and warning Sawaneh against using unauthorized appointment letters.
The service commission declared, “As a result, Mr. Alhagie Jeng, who organized their appointments, is to be suspended for one (1) month without pay, and Mr. Ebrima Sawaneh is to be strongly cautioned to refrain from issuing appointment letters without following due process.”
Alhagie Jeng was accused of appointing close relatives to the Finance Department, but the commission found no direct responsibility and warned him to avoid such behavior.
The service commission has ruled that Mr. Jeng’s close relatives are unethical and will be redeployed to other councils. The commission also clarified that Omar Saidykhan and Alhagie Malick Jeng were not found guilty of alleged wrongdoings in June 2023.
Sulayman Jeng was not found guilty of suppressing revenue but issued his receipt book to Bai Sait Jeng, causing the service commission to warn him against giving it to anyone.
The Commission cleared Licence Manager Ebrima Jallow of revenue suppression allegations, stating he is not a collector and does not sign receipt books. However, Jallow was cautioned for privately photocopying invoices without proper procedures, and a warning letter was recommended. Jallow should take responsibility for the error and return to work.
The Local Government Service Commission emphasized the importance of the Brikama Area Council engaging staff members personally, ensuring preliminary reports accompany resolutions, and refraining from implementing resolutions before final decisions are made.
The Service Commission recommended a fair hearing for staff involved in malpractices, supporting resolutions with preliminary reports, and refraining from implementing resolutions before final decisions.
