Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The government of The Gambia, through the Office of the Vice President, has yet to comply with a resolution by the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) of the National Assembly. The resolution, passed in September 2023, called for the submission of critical documents related to the sale of former President Yahya Jammeh’s assets, including Janneh Commission’s Treasury Receipts worth D22,319,957.92.

The FPAC had resolved that the Accountant General should collaborate with the Ministry of Justice to provide these documents to the Auditor General and FPAC by September 28, 2023. Failure to meet this deadline was to prompt the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to initiate an investigation and report back to FPAC within 90 days. However, over a year later, neither the Office of the Vice President nor the IGP has complied with the resolution.

In response to the resolution, the Attorney General submitted a letter listing the requested documents but did not provide copies to FPAC. The committee has since criticized the government’s inaction, noting a lack of updates on the matter.

Timber Seizure Concerns Persist

In a separate but related issue, FPAC also highlighted unresolved concerns regarding timber seized on Gambian soil after Jammeh’s downfall. The committee had requested details on all forfeited timber and proceeds from its sale, but no updates have been provided.

According to the FPAC Chairman, Hon. Alhagie S. Darboe, the Inspector General of Police was instructed to investigate a purported agreement, invoked by Gambian authorities, between The Gambia and Senegal involving timber seizures.

No formal trace of this agreement has been found, raising concerns about accountability.

The Accountant General, Agnes Macaulay, had in September 2023 informed the FPAC that reimbursements from timber proceeds were usually approved by the Office of the President. Payments from the timber sales were reportedly lodged in a special account administered by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs.

The FPAC has urged the Accountant General to provide details of the agreement and the revenue generated from the confiscated timber. The committee has referred the matter to the IGP for investigation, demanding a report to the National Assembly for further action.

Despite the urgency of the issues, both the Jammeh asset sale and timber seizure matters remain unresolved, leaving questions about transparency and accountability in The Gambia’s management of public resources.