In contrast to her two assistant secretaries’ earlier testimony that she oversaw the tractor sale, Janneh Commission Secretary General Ramatoulie Sarr vehemently denied any involvement in the transaction on Thursday.
She made the declaration in front of the National Assembly committee that was looking into the situation. Sarr provided directions at every step of the tractor sales process, according to earlier testimony from her assistant secretaries Kebba Bojang and Fatou Drammeh.
Sarr was questioned by Lead Counsel Lamin Dibba over the discrepancies between her and her assistants’ statements. He pointed out that both of her assistants answered directly to her and denied that they had formally met with the commissioners to approve the purchases.
Both of your assistants answered directly to you, and they both told this committee that you were always the one giving commands. Counsel Dibba informed the witness, “They also deny that any meeting with the commissioners to give them instructions was held.” Sarr responded by restating that she was not involved in the tractor sales decision. She denied going to any meetings on the subject and said that her only involvement was in writing to media outlets regarding the sales. She also denied the allegations made by her assistants, implying that they did not support her and occasionally ignored her orders.
Sarr went on to say that she had complained to the commissioners about the behavior of her helpers, and they had suggested that she concentrate on her responsibilities. She claimed that this caused her to distance herself from several issues, especially those pertaining to Kebba Bojang.
Sarr agreed that meetings were included in the reports that her assistants filed, but she emphasized that her name was not included. She argued that although the assistants prepared field visit reports, she had no say in what was included in them or how any choices that were made were carried out.
Reminding Sarr that she had previously testified that she had no knowledge of or involvement in the tractor transactions, Counsel Dibba questioned her about her prior remarks before the committee. Sarr maintained her denial and reiterated her position.
