By Arret Jatta
The Lead Counsel of the National Assembly Special Select Committee investigating the disposal of assets seized from former president Jammeh yesterday threatened former Janneh Commission Secretary Ramou Sarr with contempt charges after another day of frustration from her alleged unwillingness to provide answers to questions.
The witness previously testified, (on Monday) when she claimed not to be certain about all things she was asked to clarify.
However yesterday, Lead Counsel Dibba was tough and warned the witness that her attitude of “I was not there, etc” would not be accepted.
The focus of the day at the inquiry was the disposal of 186 tractors seized from Jammeh’s estates.
The Committee had observed significant discrepancies in the auction revenues from the first phase, involving 43 tractors, which generated D10.5 million, and the second phase, with more than double the number of tractors, yielding only D13 million.
Lead Counsel Dibba described this disparity as “defying logic.”
When pressed to explain the shortfall, Ms Sarr repeatedly distanced herself from the sales process, stating, “I was not part and parcel of the sales”. She maintained that her role was limited to administrative tasks such as writing letters and notices, and that she did not directly monitor the auctions.
Counsel Dibba warned that her evasiveness could lead to contempt charges.
“Ms Sarr, as long as you are okay and very healthy today, you will be cited for contempt,” he cautioned the witness at the start of yesterday’s proceedings.
But despite being the custodian of the Janneh Commission files, and the one who authorised allowances for the auction teams, Ms Sarr insisted she was not involved and had not even read key reports until years later. She also admitted she never sought clarification on the low revenues or followed up on reports of tractor tampering.
“It’s either there was a deliberate attempt to keep you in the dark by a third party, or that you were nonchalant, or so. In any case Ms Sarr, with all due respect, I will not take an answer from you that you are not part of it,” Lead Counsel Dibba put it to the witness.
Dibba further told the witness that it will show a mark of incompetence for the head of secretariat to be clueless about the activities of her subordinates.
