Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The National Assembly’s Special Committee has heard testimony from Lamin Suso, a senior State Guard officer concerning the recovery and inventory of vehicles at the Mechanical Services Agency (MSA), uncovering serious confusion over roles, responsibilities, and record-keeping practices.
The officer, who described his position as serving as the “eyes and ears” of the commander, told the committee that he was never in charge of operations at the MSA, despite supervising junior personnel tasked with recovering and managing vehicles.
One such junior officer, Sergeant Jagne, was responsible for mechanical work and vehicle recovery. However, according to the witness, Jagne often appeared to act as the head of the mechanical team—an “abnormal” situation he said he reported to his commander.
Committee members questioned discrepancies in the inventory and movement records of the recovered vehicles, citing gaps in documentation and the absence of precise dates.
The witness admitted to maintaining two separate records: one detailing the vehicles kept at the MSA and another tracking their movements for allocation and recovery purposes.
However, the committee challenged the accuracy and completeness of these records, pointing out inconsistencies and missing verification signatures. “The inventory you claim to have maintained is not complete,” a committee member noted.
In his defense, the officer said he documented what he could and consistently reported irregularities to his commander, stressing that he acted in good faith to maintain oversight.
Further questions arose regarding the role of Sergeant Jagne, whose involvement appeared to extend beyond his assigned duties. The witness maintained that he had no knowledge of any authority vested in Jagne and was unaware of any broader chain of command involving him.
The hearing exposed a tangled web of unclear responsibilities and accountability gaps within the vehicle recovery operations. The committee indicated that additional testimonies would be required to clarify outstanding issues and ensure all recovered assets are properly accounted for.
