{"id":89941,"date":"2025-11-12T16:54:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T16:54:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/ex-auditor-general-claims-retaliation-for-independence"},"modified":"2025-11-12T18:14:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T18:14:29","slug":"ex-auditor-general-claims-retaliation-for-independence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/ex-auditor-general-claims-retaliation-for-independence","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Auditor General Claims Retaliation for Independence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>Former Auditor General Modou Ceesay has rejected the Gambian government\u2019s statement of defense in his ongoing Supreme Court case, disputing the state\u2019s account of his removal and alleging that his dismissal stemmed directly from his refusal to accept a ministerial post and to delay audits of key public institutions.<\/b><\/p>\n

In a formal reply to the Attorney General and the Inspector General of Police \u2014 the defendants in the suit \u2014 Mr. Ceesay presented a counter-narrative portraying his ouster as unconstitutional and retaliatory. He said he was dismissed shortly after declining a transfer to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment, insisting that he chose to remain in his constitutionally protected role as Auditor General.<\/p>\n

According to court filings, Mr. Ceesay denied the state\u2019s claim that he initially accepted a ministerial appointment before changing his mind. He said that during a meeting with President Adama Barrow on Sept. 10, 2025, he was informed of a cabinet reshuffle and offered the position of Minister of Trade. Mr. Ceesay said he \u201crespectfully declined\u201d the offer during the meeting and formalized his decision in a letter delivered to the Office of the President the following day.<\/p>\n

His filing states that his decision followed \u201ccareful deliberation and communication\u201d and that he remained consistent in his wish to continue serving as Auditor General.<\/p>\n

Mr. Ceesay also defended the independence of the National Audit Office (NAO) and denied any allegations of misconduct or obstruction of audits. He claimed that his office came under pressure to suspend or delay several audits, including those involving the Ministry of Lands, the National Food Security Processing and Marketing Corporation (NSPMC), and the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA).<\/p>\n

He said the GRA audit, in particular, was halted after his office requested backups of the agency\u2019s digital revenue systems, a requirement he described as essential to the audit process.<\/p>\n

Mr. Ceesay said that on Sept. 10, 2025, his office initiated the audit of the Government of The Gambia, with plans to submit findings by the end of the month. He reiterated that the Auditor General\u2019s office \u201cmust operate without fear or favor and not be subject to the control of any person or authority.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recounting the events of his physical removal, Mr. Ceesay described his ouster as \u201cillegal and unconstitutional.\u201d He said that on Sept. 15, 2025, upon arriving at his office, police officers ordered him to vacate the premises and surrender all official materials. Despite protests from NAO staff, he said, the officers forcibly removed him from the building \u2014 an incident that was recorded and later broadcast by media outlets.<\/p>\n

Mr. Ceesay denied the state\u2019s allegation that he had leaked or circulated confidential information, insisting that he had never held a press conference nor removed or disclosed official documents.<\/p>\n

Invoking the Supreme Court\u2019s original jurisdiction, Mr. Ceesay argued that the defendants\u2019 actions violated multiple provisions of the 1997 Constitution and the National Audit Office Act of 2015, both of which protect the independence and tenure of the Auditor General. He cited Sections 158, 159, 160, and 169 of the Constitution, and Sections 3(2), 11, 13, 14, and 16 of the NAO Act, which together outline the terms of appointment, removal procedures, and institutional autonomy of the Auditor General.<\/p>\n

He said removal from office is constitutionally restricted to instances of \u201cinability, misbehavior, or incompetence\u201d \u2014 and only through due process.<\/p>\n

Mr. Ceesay further contended that the state violated these provisions when it authorized police officers to enter the NAO premises and forcibly remove him from his post.<\/p>\n

His legal counsel, led by attorney Lamin J. Darboe, described the state\u2019s counterarguments as \u201cfrivolous in their utter meaninglessness,\u201d urging the Supreme Court to reaffirm constitutional safeguards protecting oversight institutions from executive interference.<\/p>\n

The case is scheduled for a hearing in December before a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, in what is expected to be a landmark test of executive authority against the independence of constitutional institutions.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. Former Auditor General Modou Ceesay has rejected the Gambian government\u2019s statement of defense in his ongoing Supreme Court case, disputing the state\u2019s account of his removal and alleging that his dismissal stemmed directly from his refusal to accept a ministerial post and to delay audits of key public institutions. In a formal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":89940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-89941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nEx-Auditor General Claims Retaliation for Independence - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Former Auditor General Modou Ceesay has rejected the Gambian government\u2019s statement of defense in his ongoing Supreme ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/ex-auditor-general-claims-retaliation-for-independence\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ex-Auditor General Claims Retaliation for Independence\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Former Auditor General Modou Ceesay has rejected the Gambian government\u2019s statement of defense in his ongoing Supreme ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/ex-auditor-general-claims-retaliation-for-independence\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-12T16:54:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-12T18:14:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/11\/sm_1762958622.799719.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/ex-auditor-general-claims-retaliation-for-independence#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/ex-auditor-general-claims-retaliation-for-independence\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Ex-Auditor General Claims Retaliation for Independence\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-12T16:54:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-12T18:14:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/ex-auditor-general-claims-retaliation-for-independence\"},\"wordCount\":659,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/ex-auditor-general-claims-retaliation-for-independence#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/11\/sm_1762958622.799719.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/ex-auditor-general-claims-retaliation-for-independence#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/ex-auditor-general-claims-retaliation-for-independence\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/ex-auditor-general-claims-retaliation-for-independence\",\"name\":\"Ex-Auditor General Claims Retaliation for Independence - 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