By Kebba AF Touray
The Gambia’s National Assembly’s joint committee on Finance and Public Accounts (FPAC) and Public Enterprises (PEC) is scheduled to review the progress made in the petroleum inquiry into the oil saga before members.
This came following a parliamentary question raised by the Member for Niamina Dankunku, Hon. Samba Jallow, on a consignment of petroleum that amounts to 36,953,614 metric tons and is valued at US$30,000,000 (approximately D2,040,000,000.00). The internal review meeting is slated for today, Wednesday, 16 April 2025, at the National Assembly, as indicated in the approved work plans of the two legislative committees for April 2025.
According to their approved work plans, ‘‘the Joint Committee of FPAC and PEC is scheduled to hold an internal meeting to review the progress made on the Petroleum Inquiry.”
In his question to the Minister, Hon. Jallow asked Mr. Nani Juwara to explain to them the expected destination of a cargo of 36,935.614 metric tons of petroleum valued at US$30 Million, which landed on the shores of the Gambian in 2023, and asked him where the product was off loaded or stored, and how the sale of the product was conducted.
In his response to the Hon. Member, Minister of Energy Nani Juwara said Gam-petroleum received gasoil or diesel from Turkey, which was submitted at their depot according to the certificate of origin. The cargo, the Minister said, was gasoil or diesel discharged in the name of Apogee, on the 21st of May 2023, from an oil tanker vessel named MT Pericus, with a total quantity of about 14, 338 metric tons of fuel, and that on August 1, 2023, another vessel named MT Bruno delivered 9,485.830 metric tons of gasoil. On 1 September 2023, he said another Tanker vessel called MT Baldo delivered 5,646.67 metric tons, to make a total of 29,473.763 metric tons of diesel.
In his turn, the Member for Lower Saloum asked the Minister whether he was aware of the illegal use of the said petroleum product as outlined in a written document from PURA.
In his response, Mr. Juwara said two companies registered in the Gambia, which are not oil trading companies, applied for license to import petroleum products into the country. He added that the financial statements of these Companies were requested by PURA.
After providing this information to Parliament, the Member for Lower Saloum, Hon. Sainey Jawara, tabled a motion for the Assembly to launch a parliamentary inquiry into the matter. Parliament subsequently adopted the motion, and the joint committee was tasked to probe into the matter and reports its findings to the plenary.
Since then, the joint Committee has so far engaged numerous institutions such as Gam Petroleum and the Finance Intelligence Unit of the Central Bank of the Gambia, among others.
The report of the joint committee was scheduled to be tabled during the just-concluded First Ordinary Session of the Assembly, but the joint committee requested more time to further investigate the matter.
