Gambia-L: I am forwarding an e-mail sent to me by one of my sources in the Gambia on Yaya Jammeh's Presidential aircraft. Amadou Kabir Njie: Two of my sources in the Gambia told me yesterday on the phone, that they really admired your "sincerity". They said they did not know you in person, but judging by your writings, it was clear to them that you were/are very genuine/sincere and committed. They asked me to tell you to write regularly on the L because you postings are always powerful. Ebrima Ceesay ____________________________________________________________________ Hello Ebrima, Yahya Jammeh's presidential aircraft, which he proudly calls "suma Abiong bi" is a 32-year-old USSR-made Illusin (please check my spelling) which he "bought" from a South Africa outfit that has some Libyan connections. This company sells aircraft and arranges for its registration outside the owner's country of residence. In the case of Yahya Jammeh, the plane is registered in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR). However, the President of CAR had threatened to impound the plane in Libreville a couple of months ago, because it (the plane) flew the red, white and blue CAR flag. But the aircraft has since received a fresh coat of paint to remove the offensive CAR emblem. The price tag: US$10 million. In other words, the plane cost US$10 million dollars. There is dispute as to whether or not the 10 million dollars has been fully paid. But knowing Yahya Jammeh, I am convinced that the deal is probably full of potential legal entanglements. Anyway, the ageing aircraft has started to develop problems and the associated high maintenance cost. Ebrima, the maintenance for aircraft is draining our finances. To maintain the plane in good flying condition, the Gambia Government is spending a lot money and you really wonder whether Jammeh should have bought it. And mark you, he claimed that it is his own plane, and not that of the Gambian people, whose tax money was stolen to buy it. The pilots also have to be careful where they fly the aircraft to, to avoid impoundment by the CAR government whose President is still insisting, and reasonably so, on having ownership verification checks conducted, and its subsequent de-registration from Bangui. Thanks as ever! ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------