Africa-Press – Gambia. Honourable Suwaibou Touray, the National Assembly Member for Wuli East, has raised alarm over the scale of corruption in The Gambia, estimating that approximately D1.5 billion is lost annually to corrupt practices. He made the remarks during the National Assembly’s debate on the report of the joint Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) and the Public Enterprises Committee (PEC).
“Honorable Speaker, corruption is actually eating the fabric of this society. It is estimated that 1.5 billion is wasted through corruption,” he said.
He referenced the National Assembly’s report on the petroleum sector scandal, which he said revealed a range of irregularities and systemic failings.
“And what this report is saying is that it is full of anomalies, and anomalies include mismanagement, it includes favoritism, it includes all those things,” he noted.
Touray further pointed out that, according to the report, many petroleum companies failed to comply with tax regulations. “So, as far as I am concerned, Honorable Speaker, for example, when you say 2023 returns remain outstanding, as at the time of the committee’s inquiry, none of the companies filed the required tax returns or made payment of any tax in accordance with the Income and Value Added Tax Act 2012 and other relevant legislation,” he explained.
He highlighted discrepancies in company registration, stating that while Creed Energy is registered in The Gambia, Apogee FZC is not. He urged the government to prioritize the establishment of a national petroleum testing facility.
“The government should consider immediately establishing a national petroleum testing program. Honorable Speaker, we require a testing laboratory because people bring oil into the country that is not tested, and this is destroying all the engines of the Gambian people. So we need that testing machine engine and to amend the petroleum licensing regulations to impose minimum capital,”
Touray said. The Wuli East legislator also criticized what he described as undue favoritism in the policy-making process.
“You have continuously come up with different policies while this process is on, and then it is not going to the cabinet for approval,” he said.
Touray alleged that such actions are often motivated by illicit financial incentives. “That in itself is not done for nothing. There is usually what they call brown paper going under the table for those types of reasons, so what the committee is saying is that it needs to be properly investigated while they are coming up with policies on the sidelines, and then it is not approved by the cabinet,” he asserted.
He concluded by emphasizing the need for greater scrutiny and transparency in the regulation of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).“I believe that the area that is dealing with OMC, before effecting any policy change, is not thoroughly inquired into because, like I said, no sudden policies will come on a continuous basis without any reason,” Touray added.
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