By Baba Sillah
Baba Fatajo, the managing director of Nawec, yesterday appeared before the Janneh Commission in connection with generators supplied to the electricity company as well as the contract agreement years ago.
Fatajo said his career at Nawec started from 1993 until his dismissal in 2013 and later reinstated in March, 2017.
He told the Commission that from 2000 to 2001, Nawec had a contract for the provision of generators with Global Trading which he said, was in two phases including the supply of generators G 7 and G8 respectively. He said in 2005, there was purchase agreement between Global Trading Group and Nawec for four generators (G1, G2, G3 and G4) at Brikama.
Mr Fatajo further testified that prior to his dismissal in 2013, the two generators were not installed.
Mr Fatajo explained the numerous contracts initiated under him and point out how the contracts were implemented but was not involved in the financial arrangement for the generators.
He testified that in 2009, Nawec got a loan leased facility for the installation of a power plant at Brikama but they could not get 30 mega watts as intended.
He said the first phase at Brikama was a 9 Mega Watt plant, noting that there was another contract between Nawec and Global Trading Group for the provision of generators, G5 and G6 respectively, which he said were provided.
According to him, Nawec had a problem and it attracted an additional funding in 2009, and that the installation of the generators was not complete. He said they had a generator at Kotu (11 Mega Watt Plant) whose construction started in 2016 and was co-funded by BADEA and OPEC.
However, he said the other project was 20 Mega Watt which was the second project funded by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and it started in February, 2018; adding that the contract was awarded in 2016.
Counsel Bensouda further asked him whether they were involved in the implementation of contracts and in response he said he was not involved in the negotiation of the contracts. He added that Mr. Muhammed Bazzi signed on behalf of Global Trading Group while Batch Baldeh signed on behalf of Nawec.
