Africa-Press – Gambia. The National Assembly’s Majority Leader, Hon. Billy B. Tunkara of (Kantora) and the Minority Leader, Hon. Alagie S. Darboe of (Brikama South) were Thursday divided on the next move towards treating the FPAC’s Petroleum Report.
Hon. Tunkara urged MPs to handle the FPAC probe into alleged malpractice in the petroleum sector with restraint and evidence. Speaking during Thursday’s debate, Majority Leader Tunkara told colleagues that parliament must avoid acting on emotion or suspicion alone, arguing that the report’s recommendations for criminal prosecution should only proceed if backed by conclusive proof. He described the report’s key recommendations as administrative and said the allegations of corruption or money laundering were not fully proven in the findings.
“This Parliament is not a Parliament of emotion, not a Parliament of sentiment, not a Parliament of suspiciousness,” Tunkara declared, warning that any move to charge individuals must be firmly grounded in evidence, not assumptions. He also rejected claims of money laundering without clear evidence of the oil’s illicit origin.
In a sharp contrast, the mover of the motion, Minority Leader, Hon. Alagie S. Darboe of (Brikama South), defended the report’s recommendations and pushed for its full adoption. He maintained that the Joint Committee never declared there was no wrongdoing at all. He clarified that the panel could not confirm allegations against three companies due to lack of cooperation but stressed that the wider inquiry unearthed serious red flags, including suspected maladministration and possible corruption, that should now be pursued by the police.
Minority Leader Darboe echoed this line, urging colleagues to trust the committee’s findings, which he said fairly reported what was conclusively established and what remains to be verified. He called on MPs to adopt the report and allow the recommendations to guide future actions, adding that amendments can always be made where necessary.
The heated exchanges underscored a clear split within the Assembly with the Majority Leader calling for caution and due process, while the Mover and Minority Leader insists that the report’s recommendations must be upheld to safeguard parliamentary oversight and accountability in the petroleum sector.
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