By Fatou Sillah
Abdoulie Corr, the former Acting Director of Finance at the Banjul City Council (BCC), has disclosed that he was among four individuals accused of undermining Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe in 2020. Corr made this revelation while testifying before the Local Government Commission of Inquiry.
Corr, who is among the interdicted staff of BCC, recounted the challenges within the council, stating that despite their efforts to improve operations, the situation deteriorated significantly in mid-2020.“We were on transformation, and the track that we had been going on would have been the best for the Council and Banjul as well. But in mid-2020, the Council was like a jungle,” he said.
According to Corr, tensions escalated following Mayor Lowe’s trip to Turkey in February 2020. Upon her return, he claimed she was misinformed that he, along with Fatou Taal and other officials, was plotting to overthrow her.
“When the Mayor travelled to Turkey in February 2020, when she came back, from her trip to Turkey, there are issues that were going on. Myself, Fatou Taal, I can say the former procurement officer, but instead probably telling the Mayor the truth, she was told that these people were planning a coup against you. And That was how they said it in the meeting,” he said.
During the proceedings, Lead Counsel Patrick Gomez questioned Corr on the allegations, asking, “How could they say you were trying to overthrow the Mayor?” He asked.
The witness stated that upon the Mayor’s return from Turkey, she was informed that there were plans to stage a coup against her. He explained that they were simply carrying out their duties, discussing audit reports and council matters, but someone had told the Mayor that they were plotting to overthrow her.
Corr further noted that they were accused of treason, which he found puzzling, as their discussions centered solely on internal audit reports from 2017 and 2018.“They organised a press conference. To be honest, we were discussing the 2017 audit report and the 2018-19 internal audit reports,” he said.
Corr further revealed that a press conference was convened to address the allegations, emphasizing that their discussions revolved around financial audits rather than any political maneuvering.
Lead Counsel Gomez clarified that a mayor or chairperson cannot be removed through military action but can be lawfully impeached by councillors if due legal processes are followed.“Mr Corr, look, there cannot be a military activity overthrowing a Mayor or a Chairperson, But politically, it would be correct and lawful if Councillors think a Mayor or a Chairman should be impeached or removed from office that would be lawful. That should not be a problem, That’s part of the laws,” he said.