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Lower Saloum MP Sainey Jawara moved a motion to set up a committee to investigate the alleged illegal importation into the country.
Senator Jawara noted that the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) intervened in the trading of certain products which were traded without following proper procedures and were conducted through banking transactions of Ecobank and Access Bank Gambia Limited. Subsequently, the FIU requested account opening information and account statements from Access Bank and Ecobank to further investigate the matter.
Mr. Jawara further disclosed that “a man named Orimas Stiblis was arrested and handed over to the Banjul police for questioning and intelligence reports indicated that the name mentioned should be further investigated to determine possible criminal transactions and loss of state revenue. An intelligence report was received by both the Directorate General of Revenue and the Inspector General of Police for further action.
According to him, intelligence reports revealed that certain individuals were suspected of receiving kickbacks (bribes) of Dh600,000 per month, which was withdrawn from Access Bank account number 0010110000555 at the end of each month by a man named Aurimas Steblys.
“The deposits in the account were most likely from petroleum products sold in The Gambia by Apogee through Ultimate Beige Logistic and Creed Energy Limited. Access Bank documents show that there was an agreement between Creed Energy and Crossbreed Holding Company to trade petroleum products in The Gambia. However, the agreement was objected to by Apogee FZC and was therefore never executed,” he disclosed.
Upper Saloum MP Alhagie Mbowe said the issue at hand required a parliamentary inquiry into some of the allegations made in parliament.
According to MP Mbow, when analysing the report, it is clear that there are concerns related to the economic crisis. He added that the bill violates the Anti-Corruption Act 2023 and may violate the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Regulations. “In addition, there may be issues related to compliance with the Banking Act 2009. Upon careful review, it is clear that there may be a loss of government revenue and there are instances of money laundering, bribery and corruption, so an independent parliamentary investigation is needed to identify the parties involved and take appropriate action,” he added.
“Looking at banking regulations, it is clear that the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Terrorism Financing Act imposes specific obligations on banks and other financial institutions. It appears that there are potential issues in terms of compliance and ensuring that appropriate Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations are enforced,” he said.
Mr Almameh Gibba of Foni Kansala described the issue as a threat to the country’s financial security and called for the formation of two joint committees of FPAG and Public Enterprises to look into the matter.
“We need to break up the monopolies in this country. We have monopolies in this country. If you don’t pay taxes and don’t do the necessary things, you can’t come to this country and extract profits. When you see it, you see massive withdrawals. I mean, it’s a game that they sit back and enjoy, extracting resources from the government,” he concluded.
Deputies expressed concern and urged an immediate investigation into the matter.
The motion was approved and a parliamentary inquiry will be set up within 90 days from yesterday, instructing the relevant committee to conduct an investigation and submit a report.
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