By: Binta Jaiteh
Lawmakers have debated on alleged GACH guns importation as the House committee on defence and security presented the company’s report for scrutiny.
Sainey Touray, member for Jarra East said: “before the CEO was issued with the license he made some consultations with the experts that working in his department and the experts working in the police department, after the consultation the CEO is still in breach of the license of the fire arm act.”
“The end user certificate was approved that given him the authorized to import (1250) and the CEO exceeded and imported (13), apart from the authorized numbers, this is very clear, but he thinks that does not require intelligence and to know what the CEO is up to,” he said.
He expressed doubts about disparity that exists between the authorized and the one which was added.
“The IGP indicated the unauthorized consignment was impounded for investigation followed by consultation between the office of the IGP, chief of defence staff and the director of Intelligence offices,” he said.
He stated that the report is very essential in dealing with guns and fire arms and ammunition, stressing however the issue of gun is not a child play because it has to do with life and livelihood.
Halifa Sallah, member for Serrekunda, also said: “the position of the Attorney General is very clear and they identified where the short comings are coming from, between the end user certificate and the license, and essentially it will be helpful if we do not analysis and give recommendation on how to prevent report but judgement will be detrimental to the party that is already found by the chambers to be in breach by the law even though those elements are very clear.”
He said the license should contain all the terms and conditions, adding that the document is not showing such contained in the license terms “and is only the end user certificate that contains it.”
He said: “you cannot substitute a license for an end user certificate because that is legal opinion of the Attorney general and it is not also fair to incite anybody at the level of the National Assembly.”
“We are the representative of the people, so the issue is a concern for the public and this is what is expected of them. The committee scrutinized to the best of their ability and also came with recommendations, so they need to be commended,” said Bakary Njie, lawmaker for Bundung.
He added: “The reason why the public is nervous is because of the state of our Country and we are in a transition, we are trying to regularize things adding that, genuine reason should be presented in order to import fire arm in the country.”
