By Lamin Njie
Abubakary Jawara didn’t commit any crime importing guns into the country as he had authority to do so, according to Majanko Samusa.
Tongues were set wagging last year when police alongside intelligence officials impounded 1,263 pieces of firearms packed in 252 boxes at the port belonging to the top businessman. A police investigation later found no evidence about claims by Gambians Mr Jawara imported assault rifles into the country.
The national assembly’s select committee on defence and security also conducted its own investigation in the issue, and on Tuesday, the lawmakers met to discuss their report on the issue.
Nominated Member Majanko Samusa during the session insisted Mr Jawara committed no crime.
He said: “Hunting guns have ever since been accepted in this country, as far as history is concerned. It has never been something new in this country. I can associate myself with members… The discrepancy, that is the 13 guns but otherwise I am not seeing anything illegal for ordering these guns.
“All processes in the report, the company has gone through it. The committee made recommendations so that the authorities can revisit this act and see how best they would modernise it so that certain powers given to the Inspector General of Police would be modernised. But otherwise I don’t see what authority this august house has… An application that has been approved by a competent authority? Who are we, this august house, to seize somebody’s liberty, somebody’s right? What authority do we have?
“Sometimes, people should know their limit. Regardless of being a national assembly member, there are certain things, we should know where to stop. People have gone our of order here by castigating an innocent [man] who is not here to defend his or herself.
“We went to the warehouse, we saw how secure these guns are. Mr Speaker, Abubacarr Jawara, is he the first to import guns in this country? All what we know here is foreigners who imported guns into this country here. The question of one to order guns, is that a crime? Particularly somebody with an authority? Back by the laws of this land?”
