Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Public Petitions on Thursday met with representatives of Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA) to deliberate on a petition submitted by the civil society group addressing three key issues: land disputes, alleged discrimination in land administration, and accountability for audit report recommendations.
The meeting, chaired by Hon. Suwaibou Touray, aimed to clarify the scope of GALA’s petition and determine which parts were admissible for parliamentary consideration.
“As the agenda says, this will be a discussion on the petition you have raised,” Hon. Touray told the GALA delegation. “In that petition, you mentioned three issues: land, discrimination on land, and accountability for audit report implications. We want to understand clearly what exactly you expect from the committee, especially regarding the audit report.”
Kemeseng Sanneh, GALA’s Media and Communications Officer, said the petition stemmed from concerns that several audit reports adopted by the National Assembly have not been fully implemented.
“We have realized that so many audit reports revealed serious findings, and recommendations were made by the Parliament. But we have not seen full implementation,” Sanneh said. “Our objective is to ensure adherence to parliamentary decisions because oversight should not end at recommendations; it should lead to action.”
He explained that GALA’s petition, initially filed during the COVID-19 period, calls on Parliament to compel full implementation of recommendations contained in completed audit reports, particularly those related to the management of COVID-19 funds.
Committee Flags Gaps in Petition on Land and GPA Matters
In response, Hon. Touray explained that sections of the petition concerning land disputes and the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) case were not admissible at this stage.
He said the committee found that GALA had not demonstrated prior efforts to resolve the land-related complaints with the responsible ministries or agencies, a prerequisite before a petition can reach Parliament.
“This committee is a last resort,” Hon. Touray emphasized. “You must show that you have made efforts to solve the problem elsewhere. Only when all those avenues are exhausted can the petition be admissible.”
Regarding the GPA issue, the committee noted that the police had already completed an investigation into alleged revenue leakages and forwarded the case file to the Attorney General’s Chambers for legal advice.
According to correspondence read during the session, the police confirmed that the file was returned once for additional work and has since been resubmitted for the Attorney General’s review.
“The investigation has been completed and sent to the AG’s Chambers for consideration,” the letter dated 10th July 2025 stated.
Hon. Touray added that since the matter is already under legal review, any parallel inquiry by the Petitions Committee could “duplicate or prejudice” ongoing proceedings.
Audit-Related Petition Declared Admissible
While parts of GALA’s submission were ruled inadmissible, the section concerning the implementation of audit report recommendations was accepted for committee consideration.
“That part is admissible, which is why it has been brought to us,” Hon. Touray said. “We will sit over it, discuss it, and respond accordingly.”
He further advised GALA to revise and resubmit the other parts of their petition once they have documented attempts to engage relevant ministries and agencies.
The meeting concluded with both parties agreeing to maintain communication as the committee reviews the admissible sections and follows up with the Attorney General’s Chambers on the pending GPA file.
