By Alagie Manneh
Doku Group, a Gambian-owned civil engineering company, is considering a legal action against Gamtel and Nawec following accusations that the company is the one that cut off some of Gamtel’s fibre cables in Brufut.
According to Doku Group, Gamtel has claimed that ‘its fiber cable has been cut again and again, back-to-back within weeks between the Gamtel Brufut junction by a Nawec water subcontractor called Doku’.
“This is not correct,” a statement from the company said yesterday.
It said to make matters worse, Nawec too joined the fray by coming out with a misleading statement which reads: “The inclusion of Nawec in the statement suggesting that it is our sub contractor that cut the cable is both misleading and malicious. We emphasised that Doku Group is not associated with any projects on our behalf around Brufut. It is crucial for Gamtel to verify facts with Nawec management before making such statements. The ongoing OIC road works and pipe relocations in Brufut fall under the jurisdiction of the NRA, a fact well-known to Gamtel.”
According to Doku Group, both Gamtel and Nawec have been asked to publicly apologise for their misleading and defamatory statements but they have failed to do that, and it is now contemplating legal actions to protect its image.
“The cable that they said was cut is nowhere near the trench excavated by us. Doku Group is a small reputable company emerging to become the best or one of the best water companies in The Gambia. We built this reputation over five years, and it is careless for government institutions such as Nawec and Gamtel to publicly defame our reputation. This is not only unfortunate, but negligent,” Mr Gallo Saidy, the managing director of the company said.
He added that the two institutions have left them with no choice but to explore legal remedies. “Doku group have given both institutions the chance to correct this matter, but their posts are still on their websites. We are thereof left with no other option, but seek legal advice,” Mr Saidy told The Standard.
