By Aminata Kuyateh
The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice has called on the National Assembly to take full oversight of the reported sale of Mile 2 Central Prisons to the Gambia Ports Authority, warning that the transaction raises major questions about legality and public accountability.
The Centre said Mile 2, long considered a sensitive national security and human-rights institution, cannot be disposed of without full disclosure. It noted that if the GPA required the land for expansion, the government could have pursued a lawful transfer under the Public Finance Act, the State Lands Act, and standard administrative procedures. “Instead, the reported direct sale occurred without an open tender, public disclosure, or parliamentary involvement.”
The EFSCRJ also questioned the reported price of USD$4 million for a prime coastal property with historical and economic value, arguing that no valuation report or procurement record has been made public to justify the amount.
The Centre added that the conditions of the Jeshwang and Janjanbureh prisons remain unresolved, and there is no published policy paper, feasibility study, or cabinet-approved plan detailing the future of the country’s correctional system.
Interior Minister Abdoulie Sanyang has said a new correctional facility would cost between USD$20 to USD$30 million. With Mile 2 reportedly sold for USD$4 million, the EFSCJ said the public has no clarity on where the remaining funds will come from, how relocation of inmates will be managed and whether standards of human-rights compliance will be met.
