By Ousman Saidykhan
The leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP) has described as “shocking” the revelations of the audit report that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) paid over three hundred million dalasis into the private bank accounts of some officials of the commission during the last election cycle.
The National Audit Office’s (NAO) recent special audit report of the IEC revealed that D301,323,850.00 relating to election expenses was paid to the Returning Officers’ (RO) private bank accounts to cover all election expenses in their respective regions.
The “special audit report,” which revealed some transparency gaps and the IEC’s breach of sections of the Constitution and Public Finance Act, has received criticism from several Gambians, the leader of the biggest opposition not being an exception.
“It is shocking that the IEC certainly allowed monies to be paid into private bank accounts. Where did those monies come from? It is alleged that it was paid into the personal accounts of the returning officers, and Alieu Momor Njie himself was the returning officer for the Presidential Election. Why?” Ousainou Darboe said in the TAT’s “The Final Take With MK,” aired on Saturday.
The report covers the period from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023. It focused on election expenditures and revenue generated from party registration and nomination fees during this period.
Although the UDP has yet to make a public statement regarding these much-talked-about issues, Darboe said they are still “digesting” the report and that he would come up with a well-thought-out statement in the coming days.
“Yesterday [Friday], I had a meeting with my advisers, and we are looking into this thing very deeply, and it is not an inconsequential matter. Therefore, any stand we take should be a well-informed position that cannot be challenged. A position that is impregnable, and a position that no one can controvert,” said Lawyer Darboe.
Darboe, who also serves as the secretary general of UDP, said he was baffled as to why the NAO refers to the report as a “special audit report “audit report.” “What prompted the Auditor General to go onto this special audit report?”
“Of course, there are many, many grey areas, for me, that need to be properly looked into, and because of that, I do not want to make any statement now that I might subsequently want to modify. I just want to make a statement, and whatever statement I make, I stand by it, and I will be able to defend it,” said Darboe.
