Minister Keita directly addressed growing frustrations over corruption, lack of transparency, and weak governance reforms.
“Government is not sweeping these matters under the carpet,” Keita asserted, pointing to a dossier of ongoing cases that span ministries, agencies, and state-owned enterprises. “Every single file is being pursued through due process.”
He disclosed that at the Ministry of Health, two senior officials – a former Permanent Secretary and a former Programme Manager of the National Malaria Control Programme are standing trial for corruption and economic crimes in State v. Bala Kandeh, Omar Ceesay & Momodou Lamin Keita. The prosecution has already closed its case, with the defence now preparing to answer.
The scandals echo elsewhere. At the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation, six staff are facing corruption and fraud charges in State v. Amie Sarr & Five Others. The prosecution has rested, leaving the defence to make its case.
At Immigration, in State v. Ousman Bahuma & Four Others, senior officials face charges of corruption and related offences, with all witnesses already called to testify.
Meanwhile, at the Central River Region, former Governor Abba Sanyang and an accountant stand accused of economic crimes and fraud, while at the Ministry of Justice, senior staff in the Registrar General’s Department are also in the dock for similar charges.
Even with the judiciary, State v. Ebriam Janko Colley & others pits a magistrate and two judicial staff with charges of fraud and breach of trust.
He further revealed that former Director of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bubakar S.M. Jobarteh, has already completed trial, with judgment pending. Similarly, a protocol officer at the ministry and a State House driver await verdicts in their own related case. The scandal, which has rocked the nation in recent years, exposed how privileged state instruments were allegedly traded like commodities.
“The Gambia National Petroleum Company (GNPC) and the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) are also entangled in the corruption net. At GNPC, one pump attendant allegedly disappeared with over D1.16 million in sales, while another supervisor is accused of siphoning funds through tank shortages. At NAWEC, two staffs face official corruption charges, further deepening public cynicism about mismanagement in state corporations.”
