By Mustapha Jarju
Ebrima G Sankareh, spokesman for Barrow administration has clarified a controversy around sale of former president Yahya Jammeh’s aircrafts as he confirmed that the airplanes were sold to a top Gambian businessman at a tune of half a million dollar.
Speaking on West Coast Radio talk show program – Coffee Time, Mr Sankareh confirmed that the State sold the aircrafts to a businessman called Momodou Turo Darboe in 2019.
“The Ministry of Finance under the guidance of Gambia Civil Aviation Authority actually sold three of former President Jammeh`s Aircrafts to a Gambian business entrepreneur,” and the cumulative price for the three aircraft is $500,000.00 (five hundred thousand dollar) as of his findings.
He noted also that the Senegalese government aircraft that was in operation in recent days, was disposed of at half a Million Dollars ($500,000) “which is a functioning aircraft.”
He said the airplanes were basically in a bad condition, as they were running out of steam, adding “they have depreciated in value.”
Those aircrafts, he said, are old Russian aircrafts types that were bought by the former president at a cost yet to be ascertained by the Government. He however stated that the possibility of consulting the Ministry of Finance to determine the costs of purchase for those aircrafts at the time, compared to the cost it will be sold by the current Government in 2019.
Meanwhile, Minister of Information, Ebrima Sillah, said: “some other aircrafts that were used for spraying were also disposed of, in either 2017 or 2018 by the Ministry of Finance,” Minister Sillah recalled the Aircrafts in question.
“In fact, these aircrafts were offered to several people or companies to buy but nobody was interested in it. Companies in and outside the Gambia have been offered to inspect and buy the aircrafts but none of them show interest to buy the aircrafts as nothing is hidden about,” he disclosed.