Mrs.
Fatou Mbaye, former deputy speaker of
the National Assembly, yesterday told the Janneh Commission that the Kanilai
Institute of Technology costs the sum of D47, 398,749.75.
She
was testifying in connection to Kanilai Institute of Technology which was
initiated by the former president.
According
to her, the said institute was initiated by the former president purposely to
improve the teaching of maths, science and technology in the country. However,
she said the name of the institute was initially changed by the former
president.
She
testified that the former president was invited by Gambia Technical Training
Institute (GTTI) and GTTI was to oversee the construction which was awarded to
a contractor in 2007.
She
added that the contract was signed by GTTI on behalf of the former president,
and it was awarded by the former president to one Abdoulie Jaiteh but she was
not privy to the said contract; adding that she was not in possession of the
bill of quantities and that they could not find any copies at their office,
noting that the institute was built at Kanilai.
According
to her, the total cost of the contract was D47, 398,749.75. She disclosed that
the sum of D37, 189,146 was received from the Taiwanese Embassy in a form of
cheques. She said this amount was converted to dollars and there was a
shortfall of D10, 000,000.
She
disclosed that the cheques received went into the GTTI account and the project
did not complete because the contract stopped, noting that the D37, 189,146 did
not include the external works, notwithstanding, they continued paying the
salary of the night watchman.
Documents
relating to the institute together with other relevant documents were tendered
and admitted as exhibits.
She
finally testified that apart from the extra funding from GTTI, all the funds
were from Taiwan and they wrote several letters to the government requesting
for the outstanding balance of the contract but to no avail. They refused to
build the auditorium because of the incomplete payments owed to them.
Testifying
earlier, the managing director of Swami India International Ltd., Khimiji
Patel, appeared in connection to the construction of dormitories at Kanilai. He
said the cost for the contract was D9.2 million which was funded by Kanilai
Family Farms (KFF) but the money was received from Amadou Samba.
At
this juncture, he revealed that he had all the payments that went into their
account; however, he said he could not remember where all the monies came from
and apart from the said contract; they did not do any contract at Kanilai.
According
to him, Kanilai International Group bought two storey buildings from his
company at Paradise Estate; adding that the storey buildings at the Paradise
Estate are called the Toronto Houses. He confirmed that General Saul Badjie did
not buy any houses from him neither did the former first lady.
At
this juncture, a copy of the sale agreement, a bill of quantities and other
relevant documents were tendered and admitted as exhibits. Chairman Sourahata
Janneh asked him whether the company was registered and he answered in the
positive.
Mrs.
Bensouda then asked him to produce the certificate of incorporation of the
company. However, Chairman Sourahata Janneh put it to him that the name on the
contract was Pigil Patel. In response, he said Patel is the name of his tribe.
Mr.
Patel was, however, asked to furnish the commission with the Memorandum and
Article of Association, Business Registration Certificate and Tax Clearance
respectively.
Augustus
Prom Junior, Louise Prom, earlier testified that they did not come across any
report that KGI received the Japanese rice. After looking at an audit report,
he said it was indicated that KGI owed D26, 462,000 to the Ministry of
Agriculture.
Contract
agreement between KFF and his company and other relevant documents relating to
the contract were admitted in evidence.
Next
to testify was Fatou Sinyang Mbergan, sectary general of the Banjul Breweries
ltd., who was summoned in connection to Green Industries Company Ltd.
She
said the company was engaged in manufacturing clothes among others, and the
materials were initially imported. She said she was not privy to the
shareholders of the said company, noting that she was appointed as the
chairperson of the board of the company.
According
to her, she received a letter from former secretary general, Njogou Bah,
indicating that she was appointed by the former president to serve as the board
chairperson in March, 2009.
She
said she did not get the Memorandum of Article of Association, noting that she
did not know the owner of the said company but assumed that it was a government
company which was a limited liability company.
Mrs.
Mbergan further told the commission that the members of the board of the
company were one Mustapha Colley, Morr Jobe, Madam Jeg Cham and Antony
Carvalho, and Njogou Bah served as secretary to the board.
She
testified that they were not officially informed that the company was closed
and that all the machineries of the company were dismantled, further noting
that they were operating from the July 22nd Park at the airport and had an
outlet at Kairaba Avenue.
She
disclosed that the said office was allocated to them by the former president
and they were not paying rent, stating that they used to receive monies from
the office of the former president by transfers into their accounts at Trust
Bank.
She
said the industries started in 2008 but came on board in 2009, disclosing that
they opened an account and the signatories were herself, Mr. Carvalho and
Mustapha Colley, noting that the activities of the industry were anchored at
GEIPA office.
She
further told the commission that the manager, Elizabeth Dambel, was asked to
handover to the accountant, Alagie Jaiteh, noting that they had four members as
part of the management and the office of the former president was financing the
company and funds were from the said office which opened the account.
According
to her, they were sending reports to the office of the former president as to
how the funds were spent, and that they were not audited but were keeping some
minutes of meetings. She said there was some cash at the bank when the company
was folded.
She
revealed that the sales of the company was D2.3 million from uniforms and
contracts, further stating that they were not making payments to the office of
the former president.
Mrs.
Mbergan finally testified that initially they had 131 employees but it later
rose to140 staff before it was folded.
Lamin
Camara, permanent secretary No. 2, Ministry of Finance, was summoned in
connection to Japanese Food Aid, and testified that his findings revealed that
his ministry played a little role in the project and most of the arrangements
were between the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Agriculture.
According
to him, his ministry was not involved in the Taiwanese grants and this was not
normal; adding that resources coming into the country should be well
documented. He told the commission that he was not aware that KGI was selling
rice from grants given by Japan.
PS
Camara, however, testified that despite the fact that his ministry was not
involved in the said grants, correspondences between the ministries of Foreign
Affairs, Agriculture and the Prison Department were copied to his ministry. He
said it was a challenge for not involving the Finance Ministry in the
management or implementation of the bilateral grants from Japan and Taiwan
respectively.
He
added that their ministry was more engaged in the multilateral funds given by
either the World Bank, IMF among others; adding that he was in possession of 20 accounts and the
balance in this accounts was D260,000,000 and the sum of D120,000,000 came from
the Japanese grant.
At
this juncture, documents produced by the witness, such as agreements on the
food aid and correspondences between the two ministries and prison department
together with list of the 20 accounts were admitted in evidence.
The
chief of protocol, office of the former president, Alagie Ousman Ceesay,
reappeared in connection to the sum of $4,000,000 he received from Trust Bank
on behalf of the former president.
Dwelling
on this transaction, he confirmed receiving the said sum and testified that the
former president instructed him to receive the money which he said was handed
to him. He further confirmed that on the 9th of February, 2009, he received
$2,000,000 from the said bank while on the 24th of January, 2011, he received
an additional sum of $2,000,000, making it a total of $4,000,000.
Dr.
Njogu Bah also reappeared and testified that it was correct that monies from
Taiwan were used to renovate the former Taiwanese Embassy at Kanifing South
purposely to be used as APRC Political Bureau. He also confirmed the
disbursement of $1,000,000 to the Central Bank and over $900,000 to T.K Motors
relating to the supply of government vehicles.
Mrs.
Bensouda put it to him that at the beginning, the former president was trying
to pay back some monies but subsequently withdrew.
Sitting
continues today.