The mayor of South Fulton, Georgia, is being accused of using taxpayer money on lavish trips, flight upgrades, and $26,000 worth on unauthorized purchases on a city credit card.

Mayor Khalid Kamau, known as Mayor Kobi, is currently under investigation for alleged financial abuse dating back to 2022.

"It's a misappropriation of funds," Malcolm Whichard, former City of South Fulton purchasing manager, said, per WSB-TV. "My first week there, he knocked on the door, introduced himself and asked me for his P-card back and I refused." A P-card is short for "purchase card."

"I was the guy at the city that told everyone no," Whichard recalled. "Two weeks in, the mayor came to my office asking how he can buy $15,000 worth of IKEA furniture."

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According to WSB-TV, documents allegedly showed multiple unapproved airline purchases for Mayor Kobi and two employees to Paris, plus a 20-day trip to Africa. "To be quite frank... if he could take luxury trips on his own dime, he would have. So, the city is never going to see that money again," Whichard, who says he was fired from his job because he enforced the city's P-card policy, said. He filed a wrongful termination lawsuit, per Black Enterprise, which he ultimately won.

Whichard also recalled how Kamau allegedly asked to purchase $15,000 worth of furniture from IKEA.

During a city council meeting in late-January, which he stormed out of but ultimately returned, expressed frustration over the allegations.

"There have been a lot of accusations about international travel, there have been lots of calls for me to offer an explanation to the citizens," Kamau said. "I am trying again for the second council meeting in a row to offer some information and context."

"This is about doing the people's business and not for you to explain your international hiccups," Council member Carmalitha Gumbs told the mayor.

Councilwoman Helen Willis also told the mayor how she "was going to let this go, but I can't continue to sit here and allow you to make it seem like we're the villains, and you're the victim. Now those cameras are in the back of the room, not because of us. We would love to come to a meeting and just go through this agenda, have a professional meeting. And do the business of the people and go home. But it was you who wanted to go sit around and call us the 'Blackest city' and say we want to tear each other down..."

Mayor Kamau later announced he had a "hard stop" for the council meeting, and excused himself for good and did not return.

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Georgia