Gambia’s former President, Yahya Jammeh who has ruled the country with iron fist for the past 22 years was accused of ordering the withdrawal of millions of revenue money deposited in the Gambia Revenue Authority’s Tax Recovery Account at the Guaranty Trust Bank.
The Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank, Mr. Boladji Ayodele has revealed that the former President was among the signatories to the GRA Tax Recovery Account at his bank.
The GT Bank Managing Director made these revelations to the Commission of Inquiry set up by the new government to look into the financial activities of the former president and his close associates.
Mr. Ayodele told the commission that the said account was opened with a letter from Dr. Njogu Lamin Bah, former Secretary General, Head of Civil Servants and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
The GT Boss explained that passport copies of the former president and Dr. Njogu Lamin Bah were submitted to the bank to open the account in 2012. The two were signatories to the account until the replacement of Dr. Njogu Lamin Bah by Mr. Momodou Sabally in the following year. Then Momodou Sabally was also replaced by Abdoulie Sallah.
MD Boladji Ayodele told the commission that the account was frozen by an order from the High Court.
The account holding documentations were admitted and marked as exhibits.
“A total amount of D54, 358,650.41 Million was deposited and D47,418,835.33 Million was withdrawn,” GT Bank Managing Director Ayeodele said.
Transaction documents of 37 deposits plus 18 withdrawals including the Statement of Account for the entire GRA Tax Recovery Account were admitted and marked as exhibits.
The Bank Management mentioned Amadou Samba, a Gambian business tycoon as a shareholder of the bank with 12 percent shares while the KGI owned by the former President holds 1.5 percent.
The Management further informed the commission that the former President Yahya Jammeh was personally banking with the Guaranty Trust Bank.
Mr. Boladji Ayodele went further to inform the commission about numerous withdrawals made by Dr. Njogu Lamin Bah, former Secretary General and other signatories to the account in different times ranging from Hundreds of Thousands to Millions of local and foreign currencies. He mentioned the withdrawal D201, 000 and the transfer of € 21, 766. 00 sent to Paris for the purchase of goods but the beneficiary was not indicated.
Transfer of $14,759 to Malaysia, allegedly a university tuition but the name of the beneficiary was not disclose in 2012.
Transfer of £5000 was sent to the United Kingdom to Ms. Isatou Darboe, former GRTS staff for university tuition. The money was directly sent to her.
Transfer of £5, 400 was sent to Real Bank in the United Kingdom to one Ms Ya Oley Conteh for university tuition.
Transfer of $21,524.40 was sent to Amadou Gitteh at Toronto Carlton University for university tuition in 2012. Another transfer of $17,227.27 was directly sent to the same Amadou Gitteh in Canada.
“$250,000 cash purchased and was collected on the counter by Dr. Njogu Lamin Bah. It was signed by the former President Yahya Jammeh and Dr. Njogu Lamin Bah,” he disclosed.
The Guaranty Trust Managing Director further disclosed that a withdrawal of D4,733.138 Million was made by Dr. Njogu Lamin Bah, former Secretary General in 2012. He also mentioned a cash withdrawal of D2 Million by Momodou Sabally, former Secretary General in 2013. He referred to transfers signed by the former President and Momodou Sabally that included D5,398.693 Million to NAWEC, D229,390,00 to Lt. Sally Bojang, D300, 000 to Mr. John Njie and Mariama Colley, D13, 683. 600 Million to Gambia International Airline’s Hajj Package and D4 Million to one Sheriff Sawaneh.
At this juncture, Mrs. Amie Bensouda, counsel of the commission asked whether it was not strange to the bank’s management to see the personal involvement of the former president in the operations of the revenue account but the MD answered in the negative saying the operation was in the public domain.
It was put to him that the withdrawals were not consistent with the Public Finance Act. He was to submit the Ghatson Account details to the Secretariat of the Commission. The commission was informed about Toni Ghattas, a business man who was allegedly exporting with the Alhamdudilallahi Petroleum APAM Account instead of his Ghatson Account.
Meanwhile, the GT Bank Management were cleared by the commission but told they will be call back when needed.
