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      EDITORIAL
  Poverty stricken  Gambia had been denied millions of dalasis, in recent years due to corrupt navy officers, who often received  kick backs  from foreign vessel owners accused of illegal fishing in our sea port territories, investigations mounted by this paper reveals. Ruling APRC Party administrative Secretary and former ambassador retired Major Antouman Sarho, other junior and senior officers of The Gambia National Navy had been implicated in the said graft, which involves Chinese, Spanish, Korean, and other foreign vessels impounded in The Gambia by our naval officers.

  Due to lack of surveillance cameras in our maritime system in The Gambia, the said foreign vessel  owners succeeded in inducing the said individuals millions of dalasis, just to avoid facing prosecution in The Gambia. Mr.Sarho,  who was commander of the Navy was frequently seen at the Dakar based Seven Star Hotel called "Teranga Hotel", where according to navy sources, he usually met with foreign vessel agents in Senegal to settle the said illegal fishing cases out of court. This paper had been privy of hotel booking records, which featured, Mr.Sarho's name and each time he Antouman Sarho, lodged at  the said hotel.  Sarho had reportedly used his office as the then  commander of The Gambia Navy to receive bribery and kick backs form foreign vessel agents based in Dakar. We also gathered that thanks to some GNA Navy patrol team led by SGT Ansu Badjie,  who arrested these foreign vessels, Sarho was able to collect such a  huge amount of money from the said trawlers during the period
 in question.

  It is also gathered that, he settled his Teranga hotel bills from the said millions of dalasis, he Sarho received from the foreign vessel agents. He uses part of the money to compensate some of the Navy patrol team, who had time and time complained about unfair treatment.  A big time womaniser and wine drinker Sarho,  was well known in Dakar. Notwithstanding,  according to Navy sources, Sarho was able to built couple of compound in The Gambia, including his family home in Serre kunda, which he upgraded as a  storey building.

  We are disturbed by the said revelations, since Sarho is heading the Ruling Party Bureau in The Gambia. This shows the type of leadership we have in The Gambia. We challenge, Mr.Sarho to clear himself from such scandalous story, which must be pursued by any future government. We do know that a corrupt government like that of the APRC will never probe the type of Sarho had executed errands for his boss Yahya Jammeh in Taiwan. In the meantime, we will focus on the foreign vessels scandal and will get to the Taiwanese revelations later on.

  Their  are witnesses who are privy of Mr.Sarho and his conspirators dubious kick back scandal and are willing to testify against Sarho in the event of any future government in The Gambia. Some of our critics,  will start to ask why publishing the said revelations against Antouman at this hour. Our response is that Sarho is a public figure and such a story is in the public interest. The public reserves the right to know how Antouman was presiding over the navy and our foreign embassies.

  This is a serious state of affairs and we are concerned that the army which should defend and protect our territorial integrity is involved in such shameful corrupt practices. These funds could have been used to revamp our ailing economy. But due to greed and selfishness Sarho and his group decided to organise their own "KANGAROO COURTS" outside The  Gambian jurisdiction.

  Antouman Sarho was recruited as a mechanic in the navy, but for some reasons he amassed such a wealth  in recent years. We are not making allegations against the former ambassador, we reporting information that we are privy of. Our sources worked at the  Navy and cannot be doubted. They are unimpeachable sources.

  Navy sources told this paper that the said practice is still going on at the sea port, as most of the senior officers are living flamboyant life style. We can comfortably say that out of the illegal fishing cases intercepted by the Navy, only 20 percent are forwarded to the state. These soldiers are not well paid and are easily induced by foreign trawlers.

  Few years ago, a Korean foreign vessel was arrested in The Gambian waters by the Navy. But guess what happened  later? The said vessel owners succeeded in inducing the trial magistrate Christopher Onyia and some navy officials to leave The Gambia. This resulted in the sacking of magistrate Onyia. Our nation is being denied development by so called public servants.

  Most of the junior and senior officers of the navy are driving cars these days. They owned houses and healthy bank accounts. Our nation stands to loose millions of dalasis if corruption is not weeded out across the board. Some will openly  tell you if Yahya is stealing, who am I not to steal. Two wrongs cannot make a  right.Jammeh stealing our national coffers doesn't justify such arguments. We expect public servants including the army to leave a good legacy in the event of any of change of government.

  This paper is privy of  how these kick back  transactions were carried out and those involved in the corruption racket. Antouman Sarho will be shocked to learnt how we knew about such crosss border deals. This is no bluff, but we have more damaging and authentic stories to write about Sarho. As stated earlier, we  are challenging  him to dispute or deny such reports- then we will further spill the beans.

  We have nothing against Antouman Sarho, but we feel that Gambians need to know the mess created by Sarho while he was in-charge of the navy. He is paid by Gambian tax payers and as such his life is not private,  as far we are concerned. We report the truth and nothing but the truth. We rest our case.

  The author is the former Secretary General of The Gambia press Union and also a former Voice of America radio Banjul Correspondent. Mr. M'Bai who now resides in the US State of North Carolina Raleigh was a leading political and crime reporter with the Point and Daily Observer newspapers respectively. He can be reached by email at the following addresses: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]













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