By Tabora Bojang
The Joint Committee of the National Assembly on the Russian oil scandal has recommended that the Attorney General and Minister for Justice constitute a special panel to investigate the procedure adopted by the police in their investigations against Mr Aurimas Steiblys, said to be the mastermind behind the unlawful importation and sale of petroleum products worth over US$30 million from a Russian ship.
The Parliamentary Committee said it uncovered “serious procedural violations, inconsistencies and signs of interference” in the police investigation into the matter following a report from the Financial Intelligence Unit FIU.
According to the Committee, the conduct of the police revealed “weaknesses in criminal investigation and institutional accountability” oversight.
According to the Committee, contrary to standard practice, Mr Aurimus, the prime suspect in the deal was only cautioned without any charges against him, and that upon reviewing the documents it was observed that the police did not submit any bail bond signed by Mr Aurimus and that he was granted a self-bail while his passport was not surrendered for the purpose of ensuring his continuous availability during the course of the investigation.
The Committee said it further observed on the surface of the cautionary statement submitted by the police that there is no date, no signature, or name of an independent witness and the said document had different hand-writings.
The Committee stated that a review of the testimony of Commissioner Pa Alieu Jawara, the commander of the SIU and team reveals that “directives came from the top” for them to halt the investigation before any substantial work was done and that these directives resulted in Mr Aurimus being granted self-bail.
The Committee said it took interest in finding out who halted the investigation, and pressed for answers from Commissioner Pa Alieu Jawara who would only say that the order came from his immediate former boss IGP Abdoulie Sanyang.
However according to the Committee Pa Alieu Jawara, “retracted that initial testimony and elected to give contradictory evidence that the panel instead advised the IGP to keep in view (KIV) the investigation which the IGP agreed to.
The Committee further observed that Commissioner Pa Alieu Jawara’s latest testimony that the investigation was KIV, is inconsistent with the testimonies of OC Sanusi Darboe and DASP Alagie Sanyang both from the SIU, as well as that of the police attaché at FIU because all those testified to have received instructions from Mr Jawara to halt the investigation.
The Committee said the police had said that due to the uncooperative nature of the suspect, the police panel decided to issue him a questionnaire which he filled with the help of his legal representative Counsel Haddy Dandeh Jabbie.
“When quizzed whether issuing questionnaires to a suspect was in line with police investigative procedures, the Commissioner of SIU and prosecution explained that it depends on the subject of the investigation, but the usual practice in the police was to request the suspect to provide a written statement by themselves or with the help of their chosen representatives. It is his evidence that the suspect was not complying with the police, as a result they elected to caution him,” the Committee said,
In view of this and other findings against the police, the Committee recommended that the Minister for Justice constitute a special panel to further investigate the conduct of the Commander of the Special Investigation Unit of the police Pa Alieu Jawara and report to the National Assembly within 90 days of the tabling of the report as well as set up a special independent panel to investigate the overall conduct on the police in handling the matter.
On the former IGP and now Minister for Interior Abdoulie Sanyang, the Committee recommended a vote for a censure against him for his failure to give a full disclosure of his level of knowledge and involvement in the case and that his claims were “inconsistent with the facts” of the case.
“The investigation further revealed a contradicting statement by former IGP (Hon. Abdoulie Sanyang) where he indicated that he was not informed about the matter but evidence shows that he minuted the said report to the SIU,” the Parliamentary Committee said.
It said testimonies also revealed that he [Sanyang] received a call from the former Minister of Petroleum Abdou Jobe who informed him that one of their international traders was in police custody and he indicated to the minister that this is part of the police’s routine investigative processes. “Sanyang also added that the General Manager of Gam-Petroleum too had visited police headquarters during the same period and referred to the individual in question as one of their international Traders. The Committee finds and holds that the said calls by the former Minister of Petroleum (Hon.Abdoulie Jobe) and the visit by the General Manager of Gam-petroleum amount to interference into the investigation,” the Committee said.
