Ebrima Sanyang, a witness testifying before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry at the Djembe Hotel in Senegambia, has signalled certain practices that contradict legal provisions at the Mansakonko Area Council, which he said could lead to fraudulent gains.

Prior, Mr Sanyang testified before the Commission about their findings in the compliance review report in relation to Mansakonko Area Council for 2019 and 2020-2021

Yesterday, testifying about their findings for the year 2022, he also disclosed a series of noncompliance issues connected to procurement at the Mansakonko Area Council.

He told the Commission that the GPPA Act and the regulations provide that the procurement unit of an area council should be under the office of the CEO, who shall also serve as the head of the contracts committee of the council.

However, the witness informed the Commission that the council defied this fundamental prerequisite stipulated by law, as the procurement unit of the Mansakonko Area Council is under the finance department.

Moreover, the Contracts Committee of the Mansakonko Area Council was headed by the vice chairperson of the area council instead of the CEO as laid by law.

Sanyang, thus, informed the Commission about the implications of these "illegal practices" by the Mansakonko Area Council, saying the procurements may be "individualised for financial gains" and also "accountability and transparency in the procurement processes cannot be assured".

He also emphasised that it might also result in the use of the wrong procurement method.