By Omar Wally
Former Chief of Defence Staff of the Gambia Armed Forces General Ousman Bargie has claimed that he was on numerous occasions offered money by foreign powers to topple former President Yahya Jammeh during the political impasse.
Speaking an exclusive interview with The standard, Bargie said these offers came in foreign currencies and were made by European and African countries.
“I was approached about three times and offered money in cartons and I said no, I’m not going to sell The Gambia and I will not take over this country. I am not elected by the people and I am doing my job. I assured them that by the grace of God, Adama Barrow will take over but they doubted me,” General Bargie said.
Asked to give names of the nations or people who offered him money to topple Jammeh, Bargie said:
“It is confidential. You are the second journalist to ask me this. But confidential things should be kept confidential. These are not issues that have to be brought out for the world, because if it is gone public that country is going to be shamed and I don’t want to expose anybody or any country. Well, they are both African and Western countries (laughs). You are pushing me to point at a particular direction.’’
General Bargie went on to disclose that
at the beginning, he was offered 75 million euros and later he received an offer of 250 million dollars. “There was another offer. The last one which even annoyed me because it was a lot of money. But I will not repeat what I said to them because Allah will punish me. I was out of my mind and annoyed by the fact that another country will ask me to sell my country. That was how I was feeling. It would have been blood money, I swear to God that is not me. I will not use blood money,” he said.
Read the full interview on Bantaba next page.
