Africa-Press – Gambia. Last week, the National Assembly Communications Team sent a notice to the Gambia Parliamentary Reporters Association (PRAG) requesting them to nominate one journalist to cover site visits by the Special Select Committee investigating the sale and disposal of Jammeh’s assets.
They insisted that due to the nature and sensitivity of the visit, they are requested to only invite one person from PRAG and GRTS to join the Committee.
PRAG responded by nominating its president Mr Omar Bah of The Standard Newspaper to represent them and share any information available on the visit.
However, a few minutes before the team departed a few other uninvited journalists arrived insisting that they wanted to join the team, and following some consultations they were allowed by the Committee’s chairperson Hon Abdoulie Ceesay to join.
The inventory visit to various properties belonging to former President Yahya Jammeh started with the Statehouse yesterday. The committee’s investigation team was welcomed at the Statehouse by the controller of government vehicles Famara Saidybah who had recently testified at the parliamentary inquiry.
Mr Saidybah took the team through an inventory of 25 vehicles (only three of which are working) belonging to Jammeh including Hummer Limousines, Short Hummers, a Mini Lorry, bulletproof Armoured Benz, G Wagon used for airport pickups and a Black Nissan used by VIPs.
When asked by investigators about the fate of the other vehicles, he claimed were parked at the Statehouse as recent as during his appearance at the inquiry, Saidybah said.
Some of the vehicles are currently under maintenance and promised to escort the team to various garages for their inspection.
Shortly after touring the vehicles at Statehouse, the chairperson of the Special Select Committee, Abdoulie Ceesay confirmed to journalists that the vehicles they were showed are less than the number the Vehicle Controller himself disclosed during his testimony.
“We recorded 25 vehicles and out of the 25 only 3 are working. The rest are all down and the keys are not here. The number we were given is more than 25 but we will go to other garages to record the remaining vehicles and tally that with the information we have,” Hon Ceesay said.
Change of plan, journalists ostracised
When the team left the Statehouse instead of going to its next destination at the State Guards workshop, it returned to the National Assembly for a close door debriefing that took nearly an hour.
Shortly after the close door debriefing, journalists were summoned and told they are no longer needed on the tour.
“We are sorry to inform you that you cannot continue with us due to the sensitive and premature nature of the investigation,” one of the team members said.
The committee’s chairperson Abdoulie Ceesay admitted that it was the Assembly’s fault to make the visit public in the first place. He promised to organise a press conference at the end of the tour to update the public on their findings.
The unhappy journalists left the Assembly with disappointed faces.
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