By Tabora Bojang
The government is planning to investigate allegations of corruption and abuse of office by former chief of defence staff General Mamat Cham.
Cham resigned on Friday following accusations by his former personal assistant Sergeant Modou Saine linking him to corrupt activities. Saine who has since left the army, served as a personal assistant to Cham since 2018 made the following allegations against General Cham: that he allegedly converted a boat seized from illegal migrant operations into a private fishing boat; allegedly exchanged a military vehicle for a plot of land in Farafenni; allegedly guaranteed a D1 million loan for his wife from the army credit union; allegedly diverted a tractor donated to the army for his personal use; allegedly took military rations for his family use; allegedly took coconut seedlings from former president Jammeh’s farm and sold them to the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority; allegedly awarded his unqualified son a scholarship for cadet training in Morocco; and allegedly gave a hajj ticket allocated to the army to his wife, among others.
General Cham publicly denied some of these allegations. He contended that the migrant boat was seized by the navy and was sold to him for D250,000 and that the loan given to his wife was legitimate since she was a contributor to the scheme.
The story continued to dominate headlines for days and weeks now with many saying resignation is not enough and calling on the government to conduct a proper investigation and prosecute the former army boss if found wanting.
Yesterday, a senior government source informed The Standard that the government is “taking these allegations seriously” and legal consultations are ongoing to conduct a formal probe.
According to our source, the Minister of Defence has already signed a “convening order” subject to the approval of the Ministry of Justice for the establishment of an inquiry panel or a board to investigate the allegations levelled against General Cham.
