By Nicholas Bass
The NAM for Serekunda West, Madi Ceesay, has said the resolution that the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) of the National Assembly issued to various State agencies, ministries, and institutions for an explanation about auditors’ findings of financial malpractices will be executed within the timeline.
Since last week, FPAC has been issuing resolutions against various agencies, departments, institutions, and officers.
The affected institutions include the office of the Finance Minister, GPA,NRA,NDMA,GBOS, the Gambia College,AreaCouncils, the Gambia Press Union , MoBSE, NYS and the Office of the Attorney General.
According to the SK West NAM, the resolutions will be executed as ordered, noting that the NA will instruct the Office of the IGP to make an investigation on any officer or office that violates their order.
He also stressed that the Office of the IGP shall investigate the allegation (s) against any office or officer within 90 days and shall report to the National Assembly, regarding his findings on a particular office or officer.
Mr. Ceesay pointed out that corruption must be dealt with.
He, however, expressed optimism about the resurrection of the Gambia’s economy if the 2019 Anti-Corruption Bill becomes an Act of Parliament, stating that it will bring alleged corrupt individuals to justice.
Ceesay disclosed that the National Assembly has deleted illicit enrichment prescribed in Section 37 of the 2019 Anti-Corruption Bill, stating that it is part of the process of passing any bill into law.
He alleged that most of the opposition NAMs voted for Section 37 of the Anti-Corruption Bill to be inserted into the Bill but that the NPP NAMs thwarted their wish.
According to Section 37 sub-section (a) and (b) of the Act-Corruption Bill, a person, who being or having been a public officer, is in possession of unexplained wealth through himself or herself or another person, maintains a standard of living above that which is commensurate with his or her present or past official emoluments; or is in control of pecuniary resources or property disproportionate to his or her present or past official emoluments, unless he or she gives satisfactory explanation as to how he or she was able to maintain such standard of living or how such pecuniary resources or property came under his or her control, commits an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of three hundred thousand Dalasi or imprisonment for seven years or both.
