By Rohey Jadama
“Laissez passez is free of charge and any officer found selling it
will be prosecuted,” said Cadet Inspector Saidou A M. Bah, the Public
Relations Officer (PRO) of the Gambia Immigration Department (GID).
The Cadet Inspector said this in an interview with this reporter at hisofficer in Banjul on Wednesday, 24th of December, 2014 while
responding to the claim that some Immigration officials are going
round asking non nationals in the country whether they have laissez passez ‘entry’ document and allegedly demanding money from
those without it.
Foroyaa has received complaints from some travelers coming from Dakar
and the Casamance region of neighbouring Senegal who alleged that they
were asked by some Immigration officials to pay money because they did
not have laissez passez. The complainants said when they were
entering the country; the Immigration officials at the border told them
that they do not require the laissez passez.
PRO Bah maintained that issuing the laissez passez is on gratis basis.
He said he is not aware of any incident of Immigration officials
asking people to pay for laissez passez. “That is news to me,” he
added.
The Immigration PRO said travelers who are residing in the Gambia and
have their residential permits do not require laissez passez at the
border entry points, but added that the non-residents require it.
“If you pass through the right borders, you will be issued with a
laissez passez free of charge. But if you sneak into the country
without going through the proper borders and you are found without the
document, then you are liable for arrest,” said PRO Bah.]]>
