By Omar Bah
The National Assembly member for Serekunda Halifa Sallah has warned that the nature of the Commission of Inquiry into Jammeh’s assets may look discriminatory giving its nature and mandate.
Speaking during the debate on the motion establishing the commission, Hon Sallah warned that passing such motions could lead the parliamentarians to be judged in the wrong way at this early stage.
“I want to call on the government to come very clear on whether it is going to have a commission of inquiry into the assets of all those who governed within a period or only into assets of former President Jammeh, his family members and close associates”, he said.
He said to avoid any form of discrimination the commission of inquiry should have focused on all those who governed within the period in question. “So, I think we should be clear on what we are trying to do and not to allow ourselves to be judged in the wrong way at a time when we are just starting,” he added.
Sallah added: “That is one element, but the other element is the public enterprises. Are the public enterprises been inquired into only in their relations with a particular president or substantively the institution through its declarations of audited accounts as manifested in propriety, and therefore the public enterprise itself is been subjected to inquiry.”
“I want more information and real explanation to be able to make decisions. It is important for us to know that this is a new Gambia and that we are establishing a system of justice that will never be in indicted by issues.”
He said what is of concern to him is that the NAMs were told that the commission of inquiry is been constituted, “we are also told the establishment of the said commission is necessitated by the receipt of preliminary reports from the Central Bank of the Gambia etc.”
“I am not privy to such a report, where is the report? I am being asked to support the motion but I am not been given the substantive instrument or the basis of which I should support the motion. So, in my view the motion should not pass until that document comes to this National Assembly; we review it and determine its authenticity.”
He said it is important that when a mandate is given it is made clear, “because if we do not make a clear demarcation we could be accuse of personalizing or politicizing justice,” he said.
