By Nelson Manneh
Gambian Finance Minister Seedy Keita pledged on Friday that the government would pursue fraud and corruption cases “without fear or favor,” as a series of prosecutions and investigations target senior officials, civil servants, and state-owned enterprises across the country.
At an August 29 press conference, Keita responded to mounting public pressure from youth-led activists and the civic group Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA), which has been pressing for accountability in corruption scandals. “The Government of The Gambia categorically denounces all acts of corruption and impropriety and are fully committed to upholding the rule of law,” he said. “We are now accelerating reforms in Public Financial Management to align with international best practice and ensure that every dalasi of public resources is managed in an efficient, transparent and accountable manner.”
The minister disclosed a series of high-profile cases, many of which are already before the courts. Among them is the trial of senior officials from the Ministry of Health and the National Malaria Control Program, accused of official corruption and economic crimes; the case is now at the defense stage. Staff at the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation, the Immigration Department, and the Ministry of Justice’s Registrar General’s office are also facing charges ranging from fraud to economic crimes.
Fraud scandals have reached the highest levels of government. Former Central River Region governor Abba Sanyang, a former protocol director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a magistrate with judicial staff are all currently on trial. In two separate cases linked to the country’s diplomatic passport scandal, prosecutions have concluded and judgments are pending.
Keita detailed further allegations across the country’s state-owned enterprises. At the Gambia Ports Authority, nine staff members, including rating unit employees, are under investigation following a whistleblower’s revelations. “The Board has sanctioned that the GPPA staff adversely mentioned in the Police report are placed on administrative leave pending further action,” he said, naming five individuals now sidelined. A separate case at the Gambia Printing and Publishing Corporation (GPPC) has led to the suspension of its managing director while the National Audit Office conducts an inquiry into procurement practices.
Even frontline revenue collection has not been spared. A police commissioner, GNPC pump attendants, and supervisors face allegations ranging from theft of daily sales to tank shortages. One official allegedly absconded with more than one million dalasi in sales revenue from a single night’s transactions.
Keita said some civil servants have already been placed on administrative leave while investigations proceed, underscoring what he described as a new era of accountability. “Legal action has been initiated against civil servants implicated in corruption and violating the Civil Servant Act,” he said.
