Africa-Press – Gambia. Reappearing before the Special Select Committee investigating the sale and disposal of assets identified by the Janneh Commission on Thursday, former Secretary to the Cabinet Ebrima Ceesay detailed the events leading to the dismissal of former Janneh Commission Secretary, Alhagie Mamadi Kurang.
Ceesay testified that on June 26, 2018, he drove to the Kotu workshop to deliver an executive directive regarding the suspension of sales from the former President Jammeh’s tractors. He recounted that upon arrival, he had to identify Kurang among the crowd, as he did not know him personally. “I asked my colleague to look for Mr. Kurang among the crowd. Then I moved towards him to convey the message,” Ceesay said.
According to Ceesay, Kurang refused to take verbal instructions, insisting that he only followed directives from the Commission’s chairman. Ceesay reported Kurang’s defiance to the Secretary-General, who subsequently instructed that Kurang be dismissed. “After I conveyed the message to the Secretary-General, the next line of action was to terminate his service,” he confirmed.
The witness highlighted that the directive came in the form of a letter dated July 3, 2018, addressed to the Commission Chair, warning Kurang to retract statements suggesting collusion between the Secretary-General and the Commission’s Lead Counsel or face “undesirable consequences.”
He stressed that, although the Commission was quasi-decision-making, the executive had issued definitive instructions. “Once the Secretary, as he should have, defied verbal instructions, the Cabinet indeed took its stance and dismissed him,” he said.
The testimony also sparked debate over bureaucratic protocols and reporting lines, with Ceesay emphasizing that public administration operates within layers of authority. Kurang’s refusal, he argued, was consistent with proper administrative procedure, as instructions came from outside his reporting line.
The Committee is expected to continue examining the extent of executive influence over the Commission’s decisions and whether due process was observed in Kurang’s dismissal.
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