By Fatou Dahaba
During a major news conference in Banjul on Monday, Ousainou Darboe, the Secretary-General and party leader of the Opposition United Democratic Party, voiced serious concerns about President Barrow’s administration’s apparent lack of determination to combat the pervasive corruption within his government, questioning reports claiming that President Barrow has assumed ownership of the Chief Justice’s official residence along Atlantic Road in Fajara which he asserts is government property.
At a press briefing on Monday, the leader of the UDP claimed that a residence designated for the Chief Justice was transferred under President Barrow’s name.
“I know I visited the site when the Chief Justice occupied that space. I also visited Chief Justice Justice Ayola in the same place, but today, we want to know who owns that property. We want you to make a full and honest disclosure because that is a government property, not a layout, and should be reserved for that purpose only,” Darboe told Journalists, adding: ” We’re told the property has been allocated to you and is a government property. We want you to clear the air because that is not right and cannot be; you cannot use your office to have that property allocated to you; it’s government property.”
He said, “If you’re fighting corruption, you must not be involved in questionable transactions. I asked you, Mr. President, to clear the air. I have no evidence, but I’m told that one of your friends, a businessman, is in charge of the construction on the property.”
Darboe emphasized that President Barrow shows little interest in combating corruption. He seldom addresses or discusses the issue, not even during the State of the Nation Address or in his speeches.
“Since Minister Abba Sanyang left office almost a year ago, have you ever heard why he left office? Have you heard anything about the Abba Sanyang case since then? Even though they said they would investigate land allocation around the Kamali area, have you heard anything about that since then? There used to be an update on it, but since Abba Sanyang left on the cloudy circumstances, we have not heard anything.”
He urged President Barrow to speak through his spokesperson and inform the Gambian people about what is happening with the Abba Sanyang case.
He said: “We know the issue is because of a land allocation in Kamalo, but people need to know the whole truth.”
Darboe urged President Barrow to reveal which businesses are building NPP bureaus nationwide and how much each contributes to the construction.
“Tell us the names of the businessmen who contributed to the constitution of your bureaus in Bansang, Kerewan, Soma, Brikama, and the one to be constructed in Banjul. Tell us who is doing that great favor for you, and tell us how much each businessman contributed to building your bureaus,” Darboe asked.
“We’re constricting a bureau in the soma, and it’s coming from the pockets of Aji Sukaina Kah, Aji Yam Secka, Talib Bensouda, Ousainou Darboe, and Yaya Menteng Sanyang. We are contributing to building that bureau and the one in Kaing Kwenella. So tell us, the businessmen are building your bureaus because we want to say that your party and government are corrupt unless you tell us the money came from clean sources. If you’re really serious in the fight against corruption, with all the revelations coming out from the local government inquiry, one would have thought you would do something by now; if your commitment is to fight corruption, you will at least get the minister of local government to do something about that, people confess every day that they have been stolen money from people, and agreed that they have given money to governors which is not proper and still, these people are in government.”
He also used the opportunity to congratulate President Barrow, as the OIC chairman said they would work with him to ensure the success of his chairmanship on the OIC.
