Sister Jabou Joh,
Of course you are right; and that precisely is the point. Brother Sanusi
Owens, I think maintained that instead of making such populist exhortations,
the president ought first of all obtain legislation from the National
Assembly, then begin from himself the process of assets evaluation of all
officials worthy of investigation.
Recalling 1982, former president Jawara did exactly that. He instigated an
act of parliament (1982) against illicit enrichment and corrupt practices,
then created a commission, headed by Mrs. Cecilia Cole. But that commission,
instead of delving into files archived at the Treasury and the Income Tax
and Audits departments, simply sat up quitely begging members of the public
to come forward to report officials they suspect of corruption. Then they
went on continuously warning the same public of making false allegations
lest they themselves be prosecuted for such allegations. So the commission
just fizzled away, in both substance and pretentious intention. Unless I am
grossly mistaken, Mr. Ebou Taal, the man behind the creation of the
Commission, was its very first and only victim. Many people indeed believed
that Mr. Taal was simply a victim of political plotting.
True, it would be too much to expect this government to wage a genuine
battle against corruption. But since it has produced the prevailing storm,
we can best help it in the process by taking it on its word and work.
Many thanks,
Momodou S Sidibeh
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jabou Joh" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2004 3:22 AM
Subject: Re: Tremor Hits Central Bank/Sidibeh
> Brother Momodou Sidibeh,
>
> The Bretton Wood Instututions do not have the interest of Africa at heart
and
> heir only significance here as far as I am concerned is that their demands
in
> the interest in looking after their bottom line happens to reveal some of
> the underhanded dealings of the APRC regime.
>
> You wrote:
>
> "The government must think of putting into place an agency or commission
with
> the power and independence to formulate and execute policies that need to
> define, at least partly, the fight against corruption as largely a
> socio-cultural problem whose operations are more visible in the economic
> domain. Fighting corruption is part of the process of nation-building; it
> must be a protracted struggle."
>
> This is true and I agree that corruption in our society is a
socio-cultural
> problem but in this case, I think it is akin to asking the wolf to look
after
> the sheep if we are looking to the APRC regime to actually undertake the
fight
> against corruption when some of the members of this administration are
far
> from being transparent abotu their oen financial dealings and instant
wealth. We
> have a government whose most major accomplishment is corruption of the
> greatest magnitude and those they are prosecuting not only took the cue
from them,
> but in most cases, they were acting in collaboration with them. Even if we
> assume that Yaya Jammeh did not know about the failure to pay customs
duties on
> YDE goods, the YDE itself was attempting to be a monopoly of sorts where a
head
> of state says he was trying to help the people but all he was trying to do
was
> line his own pockets.The same head of state has become wealthy almost
> overnight. I think we are playing the same old game of what the Wollof
call "metel
> buki jamay Jaka neh eliman ba ngi" if we are callign on this government to
> legislate against corruption. I think that first, we need a transparent
and sincere
> government that will lead by example, and that truely has the interest of
> Gambians at heart in every sense of the word and not just people who are
> concentrating all their energies on trying to hang on to power and make
more money
> before we can set out to sincerely tackle this issue of corruption. What
is in
> progress currently is more of an exercise in self preservation than a
sincere
> effort at fighting corruption.
>
> Jabou Joh
> In a message dated 1/28/04 1:44:17 PM Central Standard Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
>
> >
> > Sister Jabou,
> >
> > The irony is that the bitter medicine that the Bretton Woods institution
are
> > prescibing for the Gambia are most likely to worsen the patient's
condition.
> > Genuine attempts to arrest and stamp out official corruption both as
> > instigation from the IMF and a house-cleansing exercise by President
Jammeh
> > may succeed in rustling leaves and removing cobwebs. Unfortunately, the
> > drastic exercise in rounding up mega-profile individuals from financial
and
> > business circles will sadly, fall very short of the huge task of curbing
the
> > cancer that has now assumed a debilitating social order.
> >
> > The government must think of putting into place an agency or commission
with
> > the power and independence to formulate and execute policies that need
to
> > define, at least partly, the fight against corruption as largely a
> > socio-cultural problem whose operations are more visible in the
economic
> > domain. Fighting corruption is part of the process of nation-building;
it
> > must be a protracted struggle.
> >
> > Sidibeh
> >
> > , for both short term and long term and also helppersonalitiesall far
short
> > of what
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jabou Joh" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2004 12:14 AM
> > Subject: Re: Tremor Hits Central Bank Over D222 Million in the Bonnet,
Five
> > Charged
> >
> >
> > The fact is that there is much more to this Central Bank Issue and the
> > reason
> > the IMF is after this regime, and Jammeh singling out people to blame is
a
> > virtual joke and this will become evident when the real facts are known
by
> > the
> > general public. These people are small fry who were used and are now
being
> > used
> > again as scapegoats.Jammeh knows full well what the IMF wants to know
about
> > the Central Bank and other financial dealings.
> >
> > Jabou Joh
> >
> > In a message dated 1/27/04 9:40:50 AM Central Standard Time,
> > [log in to unmask] writes:
> > >
> > >
> > > Tremor Hits Central Bank Over D222 Million in the Bonnet, Five Charged
> > >
> > > The Independent (Banjul)
> >
> > > NEWS
> > > January 26, 2004
> > > Posted to the web January 26, 2004
> > > Banjul
> > >
> > > Operation No Compromise has stepped up gear as past and present
officials
> > > in the senior cadre of the Central Bank were on Friday charged with
> > > multiple economic crimes against the state.
> > >
> > > In one of the most drastic actions yet by the APRC government in its
fresh
> > > new campaign to rout corruption, five individuals at the country's
> > > regulatory bank will face trial over so-called economic crimes thought
to
> > > have been committed while they were officials in the bank between 2002
to
> > > February 2003.
> > >
> > > The Central Bank five include Clark Bajo ex Governor, Haddy Sallah,
> > General
> > > Manager, Abdoulie Capu Cham, Director of Finance, Lang Conteh ex
Foreign
> > > Exchange Manager and Phillip Akibogum a senior bank executive.
> > >
> > > Baba Jobe who already faces multiple charges was also among those
charged
> > > anew. The Central Bank five were charged under Section 5 Subsection A
of
> > > the Economic Crimes Decree N0 16, for allegedly causing millions of
dalasi
> > > of financial losses to the state after they were entrusted funds to
arrest
> > > the depreciating value of the local currency.
> > >
> > > Between 2002 to February 2003, Swiss Franc 9, 833, 189.64 (D224,
> > 688,383.27
> > > million) was allocated to the Central Bank to stabilise the serious
> > > fluctuation of the dalasi, a task that in principle should have lasted
for
> > > two days but which was to drag on for two years apparently due to lack
of
> > > serious thrust from the senior personnel at the bank entrusted with
the
> > > task. Instead they were found to have been involved in illegal side
> > > contracts to stabilise the local currency, against which other
regional
> > and
> > > international currencies were rallying gains.
> > >
> > > In the same vein, Julakay Engineering and Construction, Camelot Radio
and
> > > Production Services, Camelot Asset and Management Holding and Wechet
> > Faling
> > > were all awarded illegal contracts by those currently facing economic
> > > crimes charges for their part in the Central Bank racket. These four
> > > business concerns have also been charged under the same economic
crimes
> > > decree.
> > >
> > > With their arrest, leading to subsequent charges preferred against
them
> > for
> > > their roles in what is the most outrageous economic crime this country
has
> > > known since the dawn of the Second Republic, startling revelations
have
> > > been made pertaining to who is who in the scale of shares for the four
> > > business outfits. For Julakay, Baba Jobe is the highest shareholder
with
> > 40
> > > percent, while Ansumana Marena and Foday Lang Sarr have 30 and 15
percent
> > > respectively.
> > >
> > > For the relatively little known Camelot Radio and Production Services,
> > Lang
> > > Conteh holds the biggest shares of 50 percent, while Baba Jobe lays
claim
> > > to 49 percent as advertiser Aziz Willan controls 1 percent.
> > >
> > > With Camelot Assets and Management Holding, Lang Conteh controls 51
> > percent
> > > of the shares, while his teenage daughter Bintou Conteh has 49 percent
in
> > > her name.
> > >
> > > With Wachet Faling, Mbawula Cham wife of ex Central Bank Governor
Clark
> > > Bayo controls 26 percent of the shares. Bintou Conteh (Lang Conteh's
> > > daughter) has 24 percent. Betty Saine and Njarga have 25 percent
> > > respectively.
> > >
> > > This major shakeup at the Central Bank comes barely a month after the
> > World
> > > Bank issued what passed off as a worrisome statement, expressing
disquiet
> > > over the country's economy. The World Bank lamented the fact that
> > > macroeconomic imbalances have worsened as evidenced by the weak growth
> > > performances, high inflation, the sharp depreciation of the exchange
rate
> > > and an increasing fiscal deficit. The monetary growth has been
> > > substantially higher than warranted, provoking the wrath of the
> > Brettonwood
> > > institutions who had reportedly threatened to put their involvement to
> > prop
> > > up the Gambian economy temporarily on hold if "sanity" did not return
to
> > > the country's economic system. One recommendation by the IMF was for
the
> > > government to sack senior executives of the bank who were directly
blamed
> > > for the uninspiring economic performance of the past two years.
> > >
> > > The IMF's displeasure was glaring in its end of year statement about
the
> > > country's economic downturn which was underlined by the following
> > > observations: "Moreover information that has recently been made
available
> > > to the staff suggests that data and foreign international reserves
> > provided
> > > to the Fund earlier may have been significantly overstated and that
there
> > > were associated inaccuracies in the data on government expenditure,
fiscal
> > > balances and credit flows in 2001. These developments threaten to
impede
> > > progress on poverty reduction.
> > >
> > > Discussion on the country's PRGF supported programme, which is
currently
> > > off tract, could be resumed once additional information had been
received
> > > and understanding are reached on the appropriate corrective actions. A
> > > resumption of the Fund's assistance and donors budgetary support is
> > > important in bringing about a return to macroeconomic stability and
> > > reducing poverty in the Gambia. The managing Director of the IMF has
> > > written to the Gambian authorities regarding the understanding
necessary
> > to
> > > bring the PRGF supported programme back on track. The fund's staff is
also
> > > pursuing the issues regarding data on foreign international reserves
with
> > > the authorities to ascertain the relevant facts".
> > >
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
>
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