President Adama Barrow has, on Friday, pardoned and released former Permanent Secretary Dr. Bamba Banja. He was sentenced in March 2023 to two years in prison for bribery and corruption, along with a fine of over D1.1 million, after he was caught on tape accepting a bribe from Chinese investors.

Following that, Dr. Bamba Banja was charged with and found guilty of official corruption, getting property as a favor, and violating Section 5 of the Economic Crime Act. Banja was directed to pay D1,000,000 to the government, D100,000 to cover the cost of official corruption, and D50,000 to cover the cost of obtaining property as a sign of goodwill.

Along with Dr. Banja, 36 other convicts have been pardoned and released by President Barrow. The complete list of inmates released on Friday is as follows: