By Alagie Manneh
The Gambia Ports Authority has said the report of the probe into allegations of corruption is not ready as investigation is still on. According to Yankuba Manneh, the spokesperson of the GPA, releasing the report now “would not be prudent” as police and officials of the National Audit Office are still probing the matter.
It is thought that the management will give in to public demands and release the report following a petition launched by online news site What’s On Gambia, which garnered more than 7,000 signatures.
But Mr Manneh insisted that the position of the Authority on the matter has been clear from the onset.
“The investigative report of the panel is still not conclusive, and that is why we invited the police to help in that regard. They have the expertise in this. And the police investigation is ongoing. I think it’s not prudent to share the report with the public while investigations are ongoing,” he told The Standard.
However, he said the Authority will be happy to release the report for public consumption once it is completed.
“It was the police who advised us to invite the NAO to help with the investigations. Once it is complete, of course we want to be as transparent as possible. We are very much occupied with the matter and will not relent until we get to the bottom of this matter,” he promised.
In a drive for greater accountability, Mr Manneh said the GPA management has instructed the auditors to not only investigate the alleged theft, but to go as far back as 2019 in their auditing of the GPA.
He said this is because the GPA is “deeply concern” about issues bringing it into disrepute. “We owe it to Gambians to make sure this matter is given the importance it deserves,” he said.
