By Lamin Cham
Businessman and NPP supporter Pa Njie ‘Girigara’ has responded to UDP leader Ousainu Darboe’s denial that he gave him D1 million in the run-up to the 2011 presidential election in exchange for a promise of a ministerial position.
Mr Njie made the claim mid last year and in an interview with The Standard last Friday, Mr Darboe described the allegations as “ravings and rantings” he would not want to “edify with a response”.
Nonetheless, he went on to explain that among other things, Mr Njie has gripes with him because he refused to succumb to Mr Njie’s underhand attempts to get his wife reinstated at Mega Bank.
But Mr Njie maintained that he had given the big bucks to Mr Darboe and has a document in his possession signed by both Mr Darboe and UDP executive member Ebou Manneh confirming the deal.
In a further exposition in an audio sent to The Standard, Mr Njie said initially he intended to give the million dalasis to any coalition that emerged between UDP, NRP and PDOIS in the 2011 election but that Mr Darboe, as the leader of the biggest opposition party at the time, rejected Halifa Sallah’s proposal for a convention and aborted the chance of the emergence of a unified coalition.
“So I then turned to Mr Darboe as the leader of the biggest opposition party and told him about the availability of the D1 million in return for a ministerial position for someone I would recommend and not myself.
“Mr Ebou Manneh is aware of this and had signed the document along with Mr Darboe,” Njie said.
Mr Njie said he will make the document available to “those who deserve to see it” even though he is not keen on publicly publishing it yet.
“But if President Barrow wants to see the document I will be pleased to give it to him,” Njie said.
He also denied ever discussing his now defunct West Telecom company with Mr Darboe and therefore could not have asked for Mr Darboe’s favour to supply Gamtel with call cards as claimed by the UDP leader.
