So the A(F)PRC belongs to Yaya Jammeh? Oh my God what a shame! Can democracy
fit in that? I am positive that Yaya jammeh is not a democrat and does not
believe in it!
Omar Joof.


>From: Luntang <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Baba Jobe talks
>Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 17:15:11 +0100
>
>Baba Jobe talks
>By PK Jarju
>Feb 24, 2004, 12:40
>
>Baba Jobe, chairman and CEO of the Youth Development Enterprise (YDE),
>yesterday testified before Justice MA Paul in the ongoing
>economic crimes trial involving him and others.
>
>Giving his evidence before a crowded courtroom which lasted over four
>hours, the House Majority leader said YDE was formed in 1995
>with the aim of providing affordable, reliable and essential commodities as
>well as to empower youths in the country. He added that
>his role as CEO was to make sure that policies drawn up by President Jammeh
>who is the company's financier, are properly implemented
>in collaboration with Government by providing and stabilising essential
>basic commodities to the people.
>
>"In doing so, YDE normally helds meetings with the authorities concerned,
>especially the Department of State for Finance to draw up
>affordable prices for its [YDE] commodities. During these meetings, we
>normally agree that there must be a consensus from both
>government allowing YDE to sell at a lower price in exchange for lower
>import duties," he said.
>
>Mr Jobe said he always had meetings with SoS Famara Jatta and permanent
>secretary Dodou Bammy Jagne to discuss prices for every
>consignment imported into the country by YDE. He added that although he
>receives instructions directly from President Jammeh to make
>sure that YDE policies are implemented, President Jammeh had no hand in the
>implementation of those policies. "This is entirely left
>with the Department of State for Finance and other institutions concerned
>like GPA," he said.
>
>Mr Jobe said government has agreed to give a duty waiver on quarterly bases
>to YDE because of its contribution to the poverty
>alleviation programme and that YDE did not pay duties because of the
>"gentleman's agreement" it had with the Department of State for
>Finance.
>
>He said as part of this agreements, YDE financed many government projects
>such as the crop financing of the 1998/99 season at a tune
>of US$5 million as well as the financing of 176 vehicles provided by
>President Jammeh to government and the APRC at a cost of over
>US$2.2 million. He said YDE, also under the instructions of President
>Jammeh, pre-financed the transportation of Cuban doctors
>through the Department of State for Finance and the campaign materials for
>the APRC worth US$428,980. "YDE spent these monies on the
>APRC because it was part of the APRC, which belongs to President Jammeh,"
>he said.
>This, according to him, showed that the relationship between YDE and
>Government "was not just an ordinary one. Directly or
>indirectly, it was one arm of the government," he said.
>
>Baba Jobe said he "totally disagreed" with the offences he has been charged
>with, "simply because the gentleman's agreement YDE had
>with SoS Jatta and Bammy Jagne was still in place. The main objectives of
>YDE such as affordability, availability, stability and
>youth empowerment were sold to them and they agreed," he said.
>Mr Jobe noted that YDE has from 2000, stuck to the agreement with the
>authorities until they were dragged to court.
>
>With regard to stability, he revealed that YDE had an agreement with the
>authorities to bring large quantities of essential
>commodities like rice and sugar into the country which are stored in
>warehouses for six months or more in order to stabilise prices.
>That he said, prevented events in the world market from reflecting
>[inimically] on the price of rice in the country.
>
>He added that YDE has provided affordable essential commodities and up to
>the time of his arrest, a bag of rice cost not more than
>D350 in any part of the country. "We are the highest importer of rice in
>the country for the past three years and we have the best
>quality of rice," he said.
>
>Mr Jobe stressed that by looking at the operations of YDE "logically, one
>cannot say it owed any money to government. If you tell me
>to reduce my import value to enhance its affordability to Gambians and to
>subsidise my duties in turn for my contribution to poverty
>alleviation for all these years and all of a sudden you turn and say I
>should pay despite the gentleman's agreement in place and YDE
>being part and parcel of government, then we all know that there is a
>problem elsewhere. We all know were the problem is and despite
>making all these expenses on government projects, we accepted the
>responsibility and started negotiations for payment," he said.
>
>Mr Jobe said Customs & Excise have refused to accept invoices given to them
>by Buba Senghore on the ground that they had already
>done their indicative value assessment and that using YDE's invoices would
>result to higher value. He added that GPA, Customs the
>Department of State for Finance have never requested invoices from him and
>that YDE's application for direct delivery were always
>sent to the office of the former director-general of Customs, Ousman Mboge
>by Buba Senghore. "Before processing the application, Mr
>Mboge always asked Buba Senghore to talk with SoS Jatta and Dodou Bammy
>Jagne who after discussions with me act in accordance with
>the gentleman agreement by contacting Mr Mboge who would grant us direct
>delivery," he explained.
>
>He said he had a meeting with the present director-general of Customs,
>Momodou Kabba Tambajang during which they discussed the
>previous arrangements YDE had with one Veronique [Carayol], a Customs
>officer to whom over US$500 was paid to. "This was why I was
>very surprised when Customs failed to produce any document in court
>regarding the agreement we had," he said.
>The case continues today with Baba Jobe expected to continue giving
>testimony.
>© Copyright 2003 by Observer Company
>
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