By: Dawda Baldeh

In the sixth edition of the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) Taxpayer Award Ceremony, Africell, the GSM operator, has been named the largest taxpayer. The ceremony took place at a local hotel in Senegambia.

Having won the award in previous years, Africell was once again recognized with the most prestigious award after losing it to EcoBank Gambia in the 2022 edition.

This telecommunications giant was acknowledged as the country’s largest telecommunications company, complying with timely filing and payment obligations, making it the leading taxpayer.

This prestigious event aims to recognize and celebrate taxpayers who have consistently paid their taxes on time and remained compliant with tax regulations.

The awards ceremony has been an annual tradition since its inception, highlighting the achievements of the revenue authority and fostering appreciation from the business community.

Addressing a cheerful audience at the ceremony yesterday, Gambian President Adama Barrow congratulated the awardees and commended them for contributing to national development through tax payment.

He emphasized that this achievement wouldn’t have been possible without his government’s commitment to providing a conducive environment for all businesses.

“Continue paying your taxes, and I will continue to grace this ceremony. Your taxes are significant in helping the government develop the country. Don’t see taxes as mere obligations but as contributions to national development,” President Barrow told the attendees.

The event brought together various important figures, including President Adama Barrow, cabinet ministers, senior government officials, and members of the business community.

The presence of President Barrow and other high-ranking officials demonstrates the government’s commitment to recognizing and encouraging tax compliance.

President Barrow reaffirmed his government’s commitment to making Gambia more attractive for businesses, emphasizing that taxes are vital for national development.

Yankuba Darboe, the Commissioner General of the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), said this event is significant in promoting understanding between GRA and the business community.

He commended the business community for paying taxes on time and suggested a larger venue for next year’s ceremony due to increased participation, indicating the growing recognition of the importance of tax payment.

Darboe added, “Today, we celebrate our taxpayers and recognize their tremendous contributions to national development.”

The ceremony also served as a platform for stakeholders to engage with each other and discuss ways to further enhance revenue generation and economic development in The Gambia.

Below are the award categories and winners:

• The Formal Sector Award Category in URR Taxpayer of the Year 2023 was won by ST. George’s Technical Junior & Senior Secondary School,
• CRR won by Armitage Senior Secondary School, LRR won by Caritas Gambia, and NBR went to ST. Michael’s Junior & Senior Secondary School, while the WCR award goes to Sandalee Oil Trading Company Limited.
• The Informal Sector Award Category 2023 was won by Sylva’s Car Wash, and the Small Taxpayer Award Category was won by Hassan Kassem.
• The Foreign Exchange Bureau Category goes to Yonna Enterprise, and the Healthcare Award Category was clinched by Malak Chemist Co. Ltd.
• The Agro-Industry Award Category goes to Royal Enterprise Ltd, and the Micro Finance Award Category was awarded to Reliance Financial Services.
• The Media House Taxpayer Award goes to Core Broadcasting & Multimedia Company Ltd known as West Coast Radio, while the Supermarket Award Category was won by My Supermarket.
• The Audit Accounting Firm Award Category was won by Foresight Accountancy & Audit Partners, and the Clearing Agent Category was won by M. Sowe Clearing & Forwarding Agency.
• The Media Taxpayer Award Category was won by Top Shop, and the Construction Award Category goes to Compagnie Sahélienne d’Entrepise (CSE).
• The Insurance Company Award Category was collected by Gambia National Insurance Company Ltd, and the ITC Award Category was won by African Information Technology Holding Company Ltd.
• The Rental Income Award Category goes to Becca Plaza, and the Domestic VAT Taxpayer category goes to Ida Denise Drammeh.
• The Paye Category was won by Castle Oil Ltd, and the Hotel award category goes to Palma Rima Hotel.
• The Public Enterprise category goes to the Gambia Ports Authority, and the Manufacturer category goes to Nessim Trading Company Ltd.
• The Basic Food Importer category goes to Shyben A. Madi and Sons Ltd, and the Oil Marketing Company category goes to Jah Oil Company Ltd.
• The Bank Award category goes to EcoBank Gambia Ltd, and the Importer of the Year category goes to J and B Trading Company Ltd.
• The Import VAT category goes to Futa Enterprise, and the GSM category goes to Qcell Gambia Ltd.
• Finally, the Largest Taxpayer award category goes to Africell Gambia.

Additionally, Gambian President Adama Barrow was honored with a special award for his contributions to the country’s development, peace, and stability, among others.

By: Dawda Baldeh

An alleged unidentified thief has left Lamin Jasseh in a frustrating situation after snatching his bag at an accident scene yesterday in Manjai.

Lamin, the victim of the alleged theft, owns a truck that was involved in an accident with a private vehicle yesterday and was called to come to the scene when the thief, who impersonated the son of the private vehicle owner, snatched his bag.

The items he allegedly escaped with include 2 laptops, 2 hard drives, 8 USB drives, a power bank, 2 watches needing batteries, 2 laptop chargers, and a wireless mouse.

Speaking to The Fatu Network, Jasseh narrated that his truck driver was involved in an accident.

According to Lamin’s account, his driver hit another car in the front bumper with a small scratch.

The alleged thief appeared at the scene and was communicating with him, impersonating the son of the owner of the car as his dad.

“When I arrived at the scene, he (the alleged thief) approached me from the passenger side. I rolled down the window and then started talking to him. He led me to park the car, after which I forgot to roll up the window,” Jasseh narrated. He added, “He was standing by while I talked to the owner of the car that was hit. He took the bag and started to move. My driver saw him with the bag but didn’t know that it was my bag.”

The alleged victim further stated that his driver waved to the guy, and he felt guilty and asked him to come forward, “but my driver said no, I thought you had my telephone, but I found it.”

According to Lamin, his driver saw the alleged thief jumping into a moped or Keke, or tuk-tuk, as they call it.

Lamin is soliciting support from the public to help recover his stolen items.

By: Alieu Jallow

Dawda Sabally (seen in the photo) alleged that two Gambian nationals operate as scammers by deceiving fellow Gambians in Spain with false promises of providing Spanish and German national documents.

Speaking to The Fatu Network, Mr. Sabally, a Gambian national residing in Ginoa, Spain, claimed that one Kunda Cham from Diabugu, Batampha Sandu, and Modi Drammeh, all residing in Olot Provincia Girona Catalonia, collected money from undocumented Gambians in Spain and Germany to supply them with national documents from the aforementioned countries. He explained that they first acquired a Gambian passport and then used that document to attach it to another documented Gambian national in Spain, whose documents were then used to obtain Spanish nationality through adoption.

Mr. Sabally alleged that they collected over €1700, money given to him by a brother to start the transaction. According to him, the entire transaction costs €10,000, but an initial €1500 is required as a deposit, with the remainder to be paid later.

“They are scammers who collect money from people promising to help with documents. They ask for a €1500 deposit, and once your documents are out, you pay the balance, which is €10,000, around D700,000. But they are all scammers. In fact, Alagie Modi used that money to embark on a pilgrimage to Mecca, and Kunda Cham from Diabugu is currently in the Gambia on holiday,” Sabally added.

“This is their business, and they have done it to many people. They use the money they make from people to send back home to feed their families,” Dawda emphasized.

Sabally further added that they repeatedly gave him flimsy excuses about the Gambia’s immigration department not issuing passports, which he found to be untrue, as he recently visited the Gambia.

The Fatu Network attempted to reach out to Kunda Cham, one of the alleged perpetrators or parties involved, but efforts were in vain as he listened to our voice note and never responded. We will continue to engage with the parties involved to bring you their side of the story.

By: Dawda Baldeh

The Mayor of Banjul City Council and President of REFELA Africa, Rohey Malick Lowe, alongside the Mayor of Lagfifat, Mina Bouhdoud of Morocco, and the founder of REFELA, Dr. Najat Zarrouk, officially inaugurated the fish shed and vegetable market complex at Albert Market in Banjul.

The market complex, funded by the Kingdom of Morocco, was constructed by REFELA in partnership with Lagfifat to provide a sheltered and decent place for approximately one hundred and sixty (160) vegetable and fish vendors.

Mayor Lowe expressed her hope that the market complex would be extended to a multi-story building in the future to accommodate more vendors.

“This project is implemented by women, and that’s why when you empower women, we can accomplish a lot,” Mayor Lowe said.

She added, “When you give us positions, we excel to expectations. This market will alleviate the burden on women, especially during the rainy season, and we want to expand it to a multi-story building.”

She thanked the mayor of Lagfifat and the government of Morocco for their funding and urged women and youths to take ownership of REFELA.

Mayor Lowe also called on the women in the city to be patient with her leadership as more projects are in the pipeline.

Mayor Bouhdoud, speaking in Arabic, expressed her excitement over the partnership and commended Mayor Lowe’s dedication to empowering women, which aligns with the vision of the Moroccan government.

“I am very excited that this project will be used by women who sell vegetables at the market. Empowering women is part of the Moroccan government’s initiative,” she told the audience.

Dr. Najat Zarrouk, the founder of REFELA, and Ahmed Belhadj, the Moroccan Ambassador in The Gambia, both praised the cooperation between the two countries and emphasized strengthening the relationship.

They highlighted the shared goal of empowering women, supported by both mayors.

“This is a very important project to empower women in Gambia. The initiative is to foster South-South cooperation between The Gambia and Morocco,” Dr. Najat told reporters.

For his part, Ahmed Belhadj, the Moroccan Ambassador in The Gambia, said this project is timely and significant.

“We hope to have more projects of this nature to help women in The Gambia,” he said.

Several individuals, including Neneh Jallow, a seasoned vendor, Jarra Darboe, a vendor, Tunko Jammeh, councilor for Soldier Town Ward, and Omar Touray, former Deputy Mayor of Banjul and President of He for She REFELA Gambia Chapter, commended Mayor Lowe and her partners for their initiative.

The market, located in the heart of Banjul, currently accommodates hundreds of vendors. If expanded, it will help alleviate the difficulties faced by women vendors, particularly during the rainy season when stagnant water and leakages become problems.

By: Dawda Baldeh

The medical students at the University of The Gambia have expressed their frustration over a three-month delay in their medical school curriculum, particularly affecting the clinical students scheduled for their surgery posting.

In response to the lack of resolution from the university authorities, the students have threatened to protest against the medical school and the surgery department at Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital if their concerns are not addressed by Friday.

“If we don’t receive any positive response from the authorities involved, we will protest against them on Friday. We are tired of this situation,” the students said.

They feel that their education and future careers are at stake and are demanding a concrete plan of action from the university.

The students claim that despite numerous meetings and discussions with the Vice Chancellor, the Acting Provost, and the Surgery Department, no progress has been made.

They believe that there is a conflict of interest between the university and the surgery department, with the students suffering as a result.

The lack of tangible action and proper communication has left the students feeling undervalued and unsupported in their pursuit of education and training.

The students have given the university authorities a two-day deadline to come up with a definitive solution.

If a positive response is not obtained by Wednesday at 1 pm, they intend to proceed with their protests.

The students are demanding accountability, swift action, and a clear resolution to the delay, emphasizing that their academic and professional growth cannot afford any further setbacks.

The students acknowledge that they have exhausted diplomatic approaches and are now compelled to take a more radical approach to bring about change.

They are calling for the intervention of the Chancellor and are using the slogan, “We are tired of being neglected. We are tired of the continuous delays in the medical school.”

The frustrations of the medical students highlight the urgent need for the university authorities to address their concerns and find a satisfactory resolution to the delay in the medical school curriculum.

By: Alieu Jallow

Ousainou Bojang, the first accused person in the September 12th Sukuta-Jabang traffic light Police shooting, has denied the police’s assertion that his statement was taken at the Police Anti-Crime Unit complex on September 15, 2023.

Ousainou’s testimony follows the High Court opening a voir dire to hear allegations of torture and drugging made by his defense counsel, Counsel J. Darboe.

The first accused person refuted Detective Ebou Sowe’s testimony, stating that his statement was not obtained in the presence of Alieu Cham, the independent witness, at the Anti-Crime in Banjulunding. He emphasized that such an action never occurred and that his statement was only taken at the Airport Police Station. He also dismissed Alieu Cham’s claim of receiving multiple calls on his phone while Mr. Sowe was taking his statement.

He further informed the court that neither of them was present when he was interrogated on September 15, 2023. Recalling the day he was brought to the Anti-Crime complex, the first accused person asserted that Ebou Sowe took him out of his cell and brought him to an office complex, where Detective Ebou Sowe presented a stack of blank papers and a stamp pad before him. The first accused person recounted that Ebou Sowe demanded his right hand, which he dipped into the stamp pad and placed on the blank papers, followed by his thumb, which he placed in a box on the papers.

“He took each of my fingers and placed them on the papers without explaining why, and then took me back to my cell,” he told the court.

The first accused person also claimed that on Thursday night, PW1 Ebou Sowe took him out of his cell to another office, where he met a PIU officer. Inside, Ebou Sowe asked him if he would like to have coffee. “If I have it, it’s fine, but if I don’t, it’s also fine,” he told the court. The first accused person lamented that Sowe took coffee from his flask bottle and served him a cup. Shortly after sipping the coffee, he started feeling drowsy and dizzy and eventually fell asleep. “The following morning, I found myself back in the cell,” he said.

He further stated that on Friday, he was taken out of his cell to a location within the Anti-Crime complex, where Superintendent Inspector Kebba Jobe, Musa Bah, and another officer threatened him to produce the gun, stating that if he didn’t speak the truth, they would suffocate him to death. According to him, they claimed to be more aggressive than the Junglers under the Jammeh regime. After some altercation, SI Jobe instructed his sergeant to handcuff both his hands and legs. He recounted that they used a baton and a cutlass to torture him.

“SI Jobe beat me with a baton while Musa Bah beat me with the back of the cutlass. After the beating, they took me back to my cell, where I fell on my two other prisoners.”

The case is set to resume on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, at 2:15 PM.