Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The National Assembly’s Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) has questioned the decision of a former Minister of Fisheries to order the release of at least three fishing vessels arrested for operating in a prohibited zone, despite their failure to pay mandatory fines prescribed by law.
The issue emerged during the committee’s review of the Auditor General’s report on the government’s financial statements for the year ended 2021.
According to the report, the vessels were each liable to pay a minimum fine of D750,000 under the Fisheries Act. However, auditors found that the vessels were released on the direct orders of the minister without any payments being made.
The Auditor General further noted that the Minister of Fisheries does not have the legal authority to order the release of such vessels. The report recommended that the unpaid fines be recovered and that the matter be regularised by November 2024.
Permanent Secretary Confirms Arrests
Appearing before the committee on Tuesday, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Fisheries, Buba Sanyang, confirmed both the arrest and subsequent release of the vessels. However, he said he could not explain the circumstances surrounding their release.
“I was not at the ministry at the time, and even the current minister was also not in office then,” Sanyang told lawmakers.
He added that efforts are now underway to recover the unpaid fines. “What is material here is to recover the funds, and we have now engaged the affected vessel companies and informed them of the infringement. The matter will be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice,” Sanyang said.
Committee Questions Minister’s Authority
FPAC Chairman Alhagie S. Darboe stressed that while recovering the fines is important, the central issue remains the authority under which the vessels were released.
“Recovering the money is one thing, but the act of the minister in releasing the vessels without payment is the real question here. What authority did the minister rely on to do that?” Darboe asked.
In response, Sanyang reiterated his inability to provide an answer. “I will not be able to state that. This was sometime back. I would not know what the minister at the time relied on to do that,” he said.
Darboe said the committee would conduct further investigations into the matter.
More Vessels Face Legal Action
Sanyang also disclosed that several other fishing vessels caught illegally operating in Gambian waters have yet to pay fines imposed on them.
“We have written to them to pay, but the payments have not been effected within the deadline given. We are now compiling a list to forward to the Ministry of Justice for legal action,” he informed the committee.
The revelations add to growing parliamentary scrutiny over the enforcement of fisheries regulations and the handling of public revenues arising from penalties and fines.
