Gambiaj.com – (Banjul, The Gambia – The Gambian National Assembly’s joint committee of the Public Finance Accounts Committee (FPAC) and Public Enterprise Committee (PEC) is set to present its much-anticipated report on June 26 regarding the controversial importation of petroleum products from a Russian vessel — a deal allegedly involving tax evasion, bribery, and institutional manipulation.

The presentation, listed in the agenda of the legislature’s second ordinary session for 2025, follows a protracted investigation that began in July 2024 after Lower Saloum lawmaker Hon. Sainey Jawara tabled a motion to probe the suspected illegal importation of fuel valued at $30 million.

Initially scheduled for presentation during the first session of 2025, the report’s release was delayed amid heated parliamentary debates and the eventual granting of an extension to the investigating committee.

At the center of the inquiry are three companies — Apogee FZC, Creed Energy Limited, and Ultimate Beige Logistics — accused of importing and selling 36,935.614 metric tons of petroleum products without paying taxes to the state.

The products, reportedly transported aboard a Russian ship anchored off the Atlantic coast, have been linked to an elaborate scheme involving high-level bribery.

Documents from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) revealed financial trails suggesting that bribes of D600,000 were allegedly paid monthly to Gambian officials to facilitate the deal. Statements submitted to the court further claim that Apogee’s local partners boasted of having “the money to buy any institutional or legal authority in The Gambia.”

Dozens of high-ranking officials have testified before the committee since the inquiry began. These include former Petroleum Minister Abdoulie Jobe, Central Bank Governor Buah Saidy, Inspector General of Police Seedy Touray, GRA Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe, PURA Director General Dr. Njogu Bah, GNPC Managing Director Baboucarr Njie, as well as several permanent secretaries and the acting Registrar of Companies, Marie Therese Gomez.

However, concerns over transparency have been amplified after journalists were repeatedly denied access to cover portions of the hearings, and the National Assembly refused a request by the State Intelligence Services (SIS) to observe the proceedings.

The SIS’s exclusion has raised alarms over the integrity of the investigation, especially given the sensitive economic and national security implications tied to Russian oil imports amidst ongoing international sanctions.

As the country awaits the findings and recommendations of the committee, many are calling for accountability and transparency to ensure that those responsible — regardless of status — are held to account.