As OAU Sanctions Defaulting Nations "Mysterious Account" Settles Gambia's
Arrears



The Independent (Banjul)

September 28, 2001
Posted to the web September 28, 2001

Banjul, the Gambia

An article published in the July - August edition of Jeune Afrique has drawn
attention to what has been described as a mysterious account in New York
apparently used to settle The Gambia's arrears to the Organisation of
African Unity.

The article revealed that the mysterious account, which has some connections
with The Gambia was the main source from where money was drawn to pay
Gambia's arrears amounting to 4.6 million dollars.

The article explained that attention to the mysterious account came in the
wake of a meeting by the board of OAU ministers in July, which the then
Gambian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Momodou L. Sedat Jobe
attended.

The magazine report revealed that Mr. Jobe had held brief for Morocco to
return to the OAU seventeen years after it left it in protest against the
organisation's recognition of the Republic of Arab Saharaouie.

However, Kelli Wallabita, Zambia's foreign minister who presided over the
meeting retorted sharply "your intervention brings up a problem. The
committee on arrears on contributions has remarked that you haven't paid
your dues up till now. Therefore you are among countries that are under
sanctions and do not have the right to speak." According to the report,
Sedat in choking anger accused the meeting of anti-democratic behaviour. The
Senegalese representative Cheik Tidiane Gadio had earlier supported Mr.
Jobe's suggestion to discuss Morocco the magazine stated.

However, the chairman of the meeting objected to Mr. Jobe's suggestion to
discuss Morocco's return as part of the order of the meeting, saying "if
Morocco wants to comeback, it shouldn't impose condition. On the other hand
we have conditions for her. She has to pay 6 million dollars in arrears of
contribution.

Surprised Mr. Jobe turned to his Guinean neighbour to whisper, "I didn't
know that Morocco has the same problem as us".

Kelli Walibita meanwhile made his ruling and decided that the question
raised by Mr. Jobe's would not be maintained in the order of the meeting.

It was soon discovered that The Gambia's arrears have been settled from the
account of a mysterious deposit in New York according to Jeune Afrique.

The Jeune Afrique report comes amidst plans by one Clark Enslin to transfer
several millions of dollars to an account in New York to fund President
Jammeh's election campaign in exchange for a status as Gambia's
Ambassador-At-Large and Trade Attache.

It is however, not clear whether the account referred to by Mr. Enslin is
the same mysterious account used to settle The Gambia's arrears to the
Organisation of African Unity.

It was announced in July that The Gambia was undergoing sanctions from the
organisation for not paying her annual contribution, which had accumulated
to 4.6 million dollars in two years. The sanctions had included not being
allowed to speak during meetings, not being mandated to vote during
decision-making and barring nationals of defaulting countries from elective
office.

Efforts by The Independent to contact Ansumana Ceesay the spokesperson of
the Foreign Affairs Department were unsuccessful as he was said to have been
meeting with his permanent secretary.



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