Confirmed reports reaching The Point have it that Abdoulie Manneh, former Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Local Government and Lands, has been arrested alongside three others, and all currently held in police custody.
Manneh, according to our sources, was arrested alongside Malamin Jatta, Director of Lands and Survey, Malamin Bojang alkalo of Wulinkama village in the Kombo North District of the West Coast Region and one Mam Sait Njie, and they are now helping the police in their investigations.
Though no official information was advanced to this paper as to the reason(s) for their arrest and subsequent detention, sources said their arrest is in connection with the findings and recommendations of the Lands Commission of Inquiry, which last month presented its report to President Yahya Jammeh.
It would be recalled that acting in accordance under Section 200 (1) of the Constitution of the
The Commission was, among others, tasked with the responsibility of looking into matters of land allocations in the country, focusing on key issues like illegal sales and administration of lands, and illegal allocation.
Its findings, contained in a three-volume report, presented to the Gambian leader by the chair of the Commission, Justice Basirou Vassilli Portier Mahoney of the High Court, among others, covered recommendations, visits to all the regions and layouts in the country, as well as findings and recommendations of the Commission.
In receiving the report at a ceremony held at State House in
“We are going to look at our laws to make them more stringent just like we did for drug dealers, because it is necessary to put an end to corruption,” he said, adding that “we have to fight corruption tooth and nail, if we want to achieve the Vision 2020 and beyond, and sustain it”.
When contacted yesterday, Assistant Superintendent Yerro Mballow confirmed the arrest and detention of the four persons.
