By Kebba AF Touray
The Director of the Gambia Livestock Marketing Agency (GLMA), Momodou Darboe, came under sharp criticism from the National Assembly’s Special Select Committee on Monday after failing to appear for a scheduled statement-taking session in the ongoing probe into assets sales linked to former President Yahya Jammeh and his closed associates.
Darboe, who eventually appeared before the committee on July 21, 2025, apologized for his absence, blaming it on a misunderstanding caused by two official letters with different instructions. One letter, he said, called for the submission of documents, while the other invited him to testify. “We received the second letter close to closing time and mistakenly assumed the hearing was on the 21st instead of the 17th,” Darboe told lawmakers.
The committee, however, was not convinced. “You should have read the content of the letter,” said Committee Chairperson Hon. Abdoulie Ceesay. “We can take this as a deliberate act.”
Darboe denied any intent to delay the proceedings and read a written apology aloud to the committee, stating: “I understand the disappointment this will have caused you and the team. Please know that I am committed to ensuring that such errors do not occur in the future.”
Chairperson Ceesay emphasized the seriousness of the inquiry, warning Darboe that further absences would not be tolerated. “We do not want GLMA to be an obstacle to the committee’s work,” he said. “Other witnesses have given statements. We expected the same from you.”
The committee accepted Darboe’s apology letter as evidence and cautioned him that failure to appear again would force the committee to consider other measures. Darboe is now scheduled to return today, Tuesday, July 22, 2025, to provide his statement.
