By Kebba AF Touray
Honourable Sainey Jawara appeared before the joint committee of the National Assembly comprising the Public Enterprise Committee (PEC) and Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) to testify in the hearing of the 36,953.614 metric tons of petroleum products saga worth Thirty Million United States Dollars ($30,000,000).
Honourable Jawara tabled the motion for the setting up of the inquiry committee.
The motion “requests the Assembly to establish a parliamentary inquiry committee into the vessels that anchored in the Gambia, with a total 36,935.614 metric tons of petroleum product, valued at US$30 Million”.
In the motion, Jawara sought the approval of the parliament to assign a committee or joint committee to probe into the matter and report back to the plenary.
After parliamentary approval was obtained, the plenary committed the motion to the FPAC and PEC to hear the case to conduct the necessary investigations and report its findings back to the plenary.
On Tuesday, 6th August 2024, the joint committee commenced its inquiry into the matter. Honourable Jawara was the first witness to appear.
Hon. Jawara told the committee he brought the motion because the matter is a public concern. He said the State has allegedly been deprived revenue. He added that the matter should be investigated for the necessary actions to be taken against those found wanting.
He told the committee that the country is a tax-based economy. He alleged that some companies refused to pay tax from transactions they conduct, and there is no evidence of any income from the proceeds of the said sale products.
He reiterated to the committee that the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) in its interventions on the said products indicated that the companies were trading in the county without the due process – through the Bank transactions – in both ECOBANK and Access Bank Gambia Limited. He added that the FIU further requested the bank statements and details of the companies’ account from the Access Bank and Eco Bank.
He said during the investigation, one Mr. Aurimas Steblys was arrested and handed over to the police in Banjul for questioning and intelligence report indicated that the name should be further investigated to establish possible criminal transactions and loss of revenue to the state. He told the joint committee that both GRA and IGP were provided with intelligence report for further actions.
He went on to inform the committee that the FIU also provided intelligence report that certain individuals were accused of receiving kickbacks (bribes) amounting to Six Hundred Thousand Dalasi (D600,000) per month, which shows that at the end of each month, the said amount is withdrawn from Access Bank Account No.0010110000555 by one Aurimas Steblys.
He expressed his concern to the committee that all the deposits in the above accounts are likely from the sales of the petroleum products traded in the Gambia by Apogee through Ultimate Beige Logistic and Creed Energy Limited.
“The FIU report shows that the manner in which these so-called sub-accountants Creed Energy/Apogee FZC and ultimate beige/Apogee, maintain at Access Bank and ECO Bank are not in line with the provision of the Anti-Money Laundry Combine Terrorism Finance Act, 2012 (AML/CTF Act 2012),” he said.
He told the committee that it is in this respect that he requested the Assembly to establish a joint committee comprising PEC and FPAC to inquire into the matter.
“This inquiry is aimed at establishing the whole truth and facts on the matter and report back to the plenary,” he said.
Hon. Jawara told the committee that the said products were not intended for the Gambia, rather Ghana, but due to the quality policy in Ghana, the vessels were not allowed entry into Ghana. He added that the vessels were in Gambian waters for almost two months amid discussions with Ghanaian authorities but when all discussions failed, they decided to bring them into the country.
The joint committee adjourned the engagement to a later date. It is expected that they will continue with the mover of the motion.
