By Mustapha Jallow
Mr Yankuba Darboe, the Commissioner General (CG) for the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), has recently disclosed that some traders use fishing trawlers to smuggle fuel through ‘Warfi Njago’ in Banjul and Kerewan in the North Bank Region (NBR).
“We’ve studied and discovered over a period that there are some people who decided to convert fishing trawlers into fuel-importing vessels. They are importing fuel through fishing trawlers and offloading it (fuel) in Banjul and North Bank,’’ Darboe remarked.
He said these trawlers are being used to illegally offload and distribute fuel through Gambian waters, adding that the trawlers collaborate with tankers and then transport fuel to Oil Marketing companies. He said these individuals who purchase this fuel are similarly tax evaders, who are breaking the law.
He explained how the country’s waters have seen a significant amount of illegal smuggling activity, such as drugs, fuel, guns, and migrants. Darboe says that fuel smuggling is mainly perpetrated through fishing trawlers.
The GRA boss made this revelation during a recent discussion with representatives of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) on the newly introduced fuel marking device, a system aimed at addressing tax evasion and smuggling of fuel into the country.
According to CG Darboe, these illegal fuel traders go to countries like Senegal and other neighboring countries to load their trawlers with fuel and wait until late at night (2 to 3 am) to sneak through ‘Wharfi Njago’ in Banjul.
He explained that some of these trawlers pass through Kerewan and other areas, where they offload these illegally traded fuels without the knowledge of the Authority.
“Any fuel that comes to this country has to go through the depot. We have two depots at Mandinari. Once, fuels enter these depots {barbed wire-houses}, they are stored. Anything that goes out, is accounted for and at the end of the day, the right duties are charged,’’ he disclosed.
He said: “Could you imagine fuel being offloaded at ‘Wharfi Njago’ in Banjul and Kerewan in North Bank Region or somewhere else, is that fair for those that are going through the right channel {the Oil Marketing Companies}? You (OMCs) are paying the right duties, but others who converted fishing trawlers into fuel carriers {importers} are not. So, this is one of the reasons why we went into the fuel marking system so that all the players will have the opportunity to pay the taxes that they are supposed to pay. The system will put a stop to those using the back-door {illegal traders or tax avoiders}.’’
“It is not even healthy to have fuels that didn’t pass through the depot and be sold into our market, OMCs,’’ he says.
“The users would go and use that fuel. We don’t know the quality of these fuels. We don’t know whether the fuels are mixed with other things because they passed through the back-way. And then get into the OMCs. Therefore, we need support from the general public for the interest of this country,’’ Darboe urged.
Meanwhile, he vowed that the law will punish those importing fuel through the wrong channels (illegally), saying that the authority is fully aware of the activities of these individuals and has taken strong actions to tackle them.
