Thursday, March 28, 2024

Special Prosecutor Announces Lawyer Tambadou’s Withdrawal From Former NIA Director General & Co Case

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  Lawyer Antouman Gaye, the Special Prosecutor in the trial of the former NIA Director General and others has informed the court about the withdrawal of Sheriff Tambadou...

Jammeh’s Rampant Corruption – Recovering the Stolen Millions

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Like most Gambians, I am following the proceedings at the commission of inquiry looking into, inter alia, the business activities and assets of former president Jammeh.   Although I cannot claim to have watched all the testimonies, I have seen enough to discern the level of incompetence and corruption that existed during the Jammeh regime. I do not think that most of us who have been following the workings of the Jammeh regime during the past 22 years are surprised by the magnitude and extent of the corruption.  We have been lamenting about it for the past two decades.  What is surprising and disappointing to me is the level of ineptitude exhibited by experienced and educated civil servants, who should have known better.  Almost all the witnesses who have appeared before the commission thus far have confessed to disobeying civil service rules and partaking in crimes, including theft. In other words, we are dealing with a bunch of criminals who conspired with, and aided and abetted Jammeh to steal money belonging to the Gambian people.  Thanks to Jammeh's impudence and the hubris of his mandarins, it should not be difficult for the current government to make a case against these criminals, hold them accountable, and recover the money they looted from public coffers.     It is sad and nauseating to watch these people admit that while the average Gambian was suffering from poor healthcare, lack of opportunity for the youth, lack of adequate food, water and electricity, they were busy stealing money from the Gambian people, and using the purloined assets to build houses, drive fancy cars, and finance the lavish vacations and education for their children.  If I were any of these people, I will be ashamed to show my face in society today. On the contrary, they shamelessly appear before the Commission and try to lecture us on the workings of government or how terrifying it was to receive directives from Jammeh. Give us a break!  This was garden-variety stealing:  taking something that does not belong to you.  Period.  As mentioned above, the criminal prosecution of these people should be low-hanging fruit for this government.  These people testifying before the Commission clearly broke the laws, and the defenses they are presenting are not credible.  Many have appeared before the Commission and woefully failed to articulate the legal basis for their actions.  They apparently do not understand the probing questioning from the Commission’s counsel. To break things down, there are laws governing how money gets into government coffers and how that money is spent.  Anybody, including the president, who deviates from those laws is acting unlawfully, and potentially committing a crime.  Some are claiming that they were coerced into this criminal behavior.  But none of them has given us an example of a situation where Jammeh jailed, tortured or killed someone who refused to help him steal money.  He has humiliated and jailed those he thought were stealing from him.  That is different from saying that Jammeh harassed civil servants who resigned.  So, no one is buying this notion that civil servants or soldiers participated in these crimes under duress.   Matter of fact, they lobbied hard for their positions and in certain situations even counseled Jammeh to violate the law.  Granted, some of the advice was given out of ignorance because they do not understand how government should work.  But I do not need to tell anyone that “ignorance of the law is no excuse." They need to come up with more creative and credible defenses.  Since the Commission's terms of reference allow it to look into the assets of government servants and whether those assets were lawfully acquired, I respectfully urge the Commission to start focusing these mandarins on that issue as well, in order to build a complete record that will aid the Attorney General in his quest to recover the stolen millions.  We cannot just trust that these people simply withdrew millions of dollars in hard currency and obediently handed the money to Jammeh.   Besides, that is not the threshold for legal culpability in these matters. By aiding and abetting Jammeh in his criminal enterprise, they are as blameworthy as he is; and unless they can prove that they delivered the money to Jammeh, they are responsible for the entire stolen amounts.  If they acted solely on the directives of the President, then they themselves should not have benefited from any of the loot.  And this is why the Commission should look into their own assets and make sure it is all properly accounted for.   The Commission should rely on its Asset Evaluation mandate to develop a record that will ensure that none of these criminals get to enjoy their ill-gotten gains.  If they cannot account for their physical assets in the country, expensive vacations and tuition fees, their assets have to be confiscated and returned to the rightful owners, and people have to spend some time in jail.  It is only in Africa that people will commit the most blatant crimes and then go scot-free in the name of reconciliation.  But this government has to realize that one of the yardsticks with which it will be judged is how it handled the dispensation of justice for the crimes committed during the Jammeh regime.  While I am not trying to preempt the Commission's report, I must point out that Gambians expect a firm response from this government once the Commission's work is completed.  Remember, some Gambians died untimely deaths, because of lack of hospitals and medicine.  Some of our youths died in the desert or in the Mediterranean, on the treacherous journey to Europe to seek greener pastures, out of sheer desperation for the lack of opportunities in The Gambia.  The list of miseries goes on and doesn't even get into the sorry state of the educational system in the country, the bankrupt economy, and the decimated civil service.  These tragedies and more can be traced directly to the criminal behavior being revealed at the Commission.  It is incumbent on the Barrow government to hold these criminals accountable and at the very least make a concerted effort to recover the stolen money for the Gambian people.  In order to serve the Gambian people in this regard, it should be a no-brainer that the Barrow government ensures that the people who participated in these corrupt activities are removed from sensitive positions in this current government while these matters are being investigated.  It also goes without saying that the current government should cease and desist from the culture of spending without legal basis, i.e. spending outside the mandates of the Constitution and the Budget and laws passed through the parliament.  But as I alluded to above, we cannot expect a different outcome if we have the same clueless and lazy mandarins holding sensitive positions in the government.  Muhamad Sosseh, Esq.  Washington, DC  October 9, 2017 

Turkish business interest to spur investment in The Gambia

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Fajara, 11 October 2017 President Barrow today received a 14-member delegation of the Turkey–Gambia Business councils, led by Turkish Ambassador to The Gambia Ismail Sefa Yuceer.  The delegation presented specific proposals for alternative energy in The Gambia; the construction of a new children’s hospital and a general hospital; the establishment of a direct flight between Istanbul and Banjul; and the provision of Turkish scholarships to Gambian students. Ambassador Yuceer also expressed Turkish interest in broader construction and interior decoration.  Offering details on some of the proposed projects, the Chairman of the Turkey–Gambia Business Councils, Mr Aygun Karakas, said members of the two councils were ready to invest in a 40-50 megawatts solar project in The Gambia, contribute to healthcare services with a construction of a 150-bed pediatric and general hospital as well as commence bi-weekly direct flights between Istanbul and Banjul in the first quarter of 2018. President Barrow was informed that a team was already in The Gambia to carry out a feasibility study on the conditions for having regular direct flights.   In his welcoming remarks, President Barrow said Turkish investment in Africa was second only to the United States of America, but that The Gambia had not benefited much from it.  He said: “Our spirit is very high. Development cannot happen without opening to the private sector.” The President also extended a welcome to Turkish companies interested in various fields, including fisheries. He assured them of his administration’s commitment to provide a democratic atmosphere, respect for rule of law, and a secure environment for business to thrive. He further assured them of the political will, which he said manifested through the setting up of an investment committee to review all serious business proposals. He encouraged them to work with the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and other stakeholders.   Apart from Turkish economic interests in The Gambia, the visiting delegation elaborated on specific social cooperate programmes to expand the scholarship package with the University of Commerce in Turkey, training of medical doctors, exchange visits with the University of The Gambia, and the provision of vocational training.  Both countries also envisage the further strengthening of bilateral cooperation through an upcoming capacity building programme for the security sector.  The Chairperson of the Turkish-Gambian Business Council (Gambian side), Mrs. Fatou Senghore attended the meeting.  Also present were the President of GCCI, Mr. Muhammed Jagana, who is also Ambassador at large, the Coordinator of the Gambia Turkish Business Council Mrs. Aji Sally Sagnia Cham, and other officials.   

This Commission Is Not A Ping Pong Game Chairman Janneh Tells Bazzi

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By Fatou Sowe Sourahata Janneh, the chairman of the ongoing commission of inquiry probing into the financial activities of former President Jammeh, on Wednesday told Muhammad Bazzi...

Barrow Government On Policy reforms—Press Director

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Ms Amie Bojang Sissoho, Director of Press at the Office of the President has said that the government is keen in making policy reforms at all sectors. The...

Barrow off to Bamako to meet ECOWAS leaders at France-Africa Summit

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The ECOWAS mediation team has decided to fly out with Gambia’s President-elect Barrow to talk to all ECOWAS Heads of States at an ongoing Summit in Bamako,...

Barrow held talks with West African leaders at France-Africa Summit in Bamako

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Gambia’s President-elect Adama Barrow today held talks with West African leaders at the ongoing 27th France-Africa Summit in Mali. The ongoing 27th Africa-France Partnership, Peace and Emergence Summit...

Lees And Co To Be Remanded At Mile 2 Prison

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  Lees Gomez, former NIA deputy director, Sheikh Omar Jeng, Haruna Susso, Dawada Ndure, Lamin Sanyang and Co have all appeared at the magistrate court in Banjul today,...

Why you should not Vote for APRC!

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    By Madi Jobarteh   The greatest betrayal of trust and confidence inflicted on Gambians since independence came from APRC National Assembly Members. The National Assembly represents our collective will...

AMRC Instructed To Recover Unpaid Accrued Rent By APRC From 2012 To Date

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  The former ruling Alliance for Patriotic, Reorientation and Construction (APRC) party has not been paying any rent for occupying the complex that it used as a bureau...

Polls open in Gambia’s first post-Jammeh Parliamentary elections

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Voting is underway in Gambia’s Parliamentary elections, the first polls since long time ruler Yahya Jammeh was defeated in December 2016. Polls opened as early as 07:00AM GMT...

APRC MAN DENIES SEALING UDP BALLOT WITH CHEWING GUM

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  Momodou Dodou Sey of Bakau who claimed to be an APRC supporter since 1994 has denied sealing a UDP ballot box at the Katchically polling station during...

Gambia gets first female visually challenged parliamentarian

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  Hon. Ndey Yassin Secka is the first female visually challenged National Assembly Member. She is among the five members nominated by President Adama Barrow at a ceremony held...

Measuring President Barrow’s first 100 days

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Today marks one 100 days since the coalition government took over the reign of power in Banjul. In assessing the significance of that, we take a critical...

Ex-NIA chief & Co deny killing Solo Sandeng; finally took pleas in court

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The former head of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Yankuba Badjie and eight others, standing trial for the murder of late Solo Sandeng, on Tuesday, finally took...

GPU Frowns Over Closure Of The Daily Observer Newspaper

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By Yunus S Saliu The Gambia Press Union (GPU) has expressed dismay over the closure of the Daily Observer newspaper, the biggest and widely circulated newspaper in The...

Paradise FM radio licences revoked

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Paradise FM, a private radio station, in The Gambia has confirmed that the Ministry of Information has revoked its licenses to operate. The move came barely 24 hours...

Britain pledges support to track down stolen assets of former President Jammeh

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  Britain has affirmed its support for Gambia`s new government and its efforts to track down stolen and misappropriate assets, this development came weeks after the country`s new...

Interior Minister Fatty says MPs lack of mobility a national disgrace

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Gambia’s Interior Minister has described the lack of transportation means (official vehicles) for Members of the National Assembly as a national disgrace. Mai Ahmed Fatty was responding to...

Defending Journalist Kebba Jeffang Jnr!

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By Madi Jobarteh - The reports emerging that Foroyaa journalist Kebba Jeffang was attacked by individuals at the press conference organized by the UDP, NRP and GMC...