In relation to the inquiry into the $30 million Russian oil scandal, the Public Enterprise Committee and the Joint Committee on Finance and Public Accounts of the National Assembly have suggested that two government ministers be censured.
The committee demanded formal censure procedures against Abdoulie Sanyang, the Interior Minister and former Inspector General of Police (IGP), and Abdoulie Jobe, the Minister of Tourism and Culture and former Minister of Petroleum, in a report delivered to the Assembly plenary on Thursday.
According to the committee, Minister Sanyang failed to maintain appropriate command authority during the investigation and was instrumental in the early termination of the police investigation related to the Financial Intelligence Unit’s (FIU) report. Serious procedural violations, discrepancies, and signs of intervention throughout the inquiry are highlighted in the study. These findings exposed flaws in the police force’s oversight, institutional accountability, and criminal investigations.
The committee believes that by interfering with the police inquiry, Minister Jobe may have engaged in wrongdoing while in office. It suggests that the National Assembly also start the censure process against him. Additionally, the study urges the Cabinet to evaluate all relevant petroleum policy texts immediately.
“The National Assembly initiates censure proceedings against the Former Minister of Petroleum, Abdoulie Jobe, who may have committed misconduct in office in his role in the purported policy (MOPE/GOGP/PP/002) as referenced in the letter dated 30th October 2023 and interference into the police investigations,” the committee’s report specifically states.
The study also suggested that the National Assembly start the process of reprimand the former Inspector General of Police and Minister of the Interior, Hon. Abdoulie Sanyang, for his suspected involvement in prematurely stopping the police investigation into the findings of the Financial Intelligence Unit. It also mentioned his inability to keep appropriate command authority over how the probe was handled.
According to the Financial Intelligence Unit report, the Minister of the Interior, Hon. Abdoulie Sanyang (former Inspector General of the Police), should be censured by the National Assembly for his alleged involvement in prematurely stopping the police investigation and for failing to maintain proper command authority in handling the investigation.
The committee not only recommended censure but also urged the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to form an independent special panel to look into the police practices and behavior during the investigation. According to the report, Officer Commanding Mr. Pa Alieu Jawara’s activities should be investigated, and the inquiry procedure should be reviewed more broadly. The results should be presented to the National Assembly within ninety days.
To further examine the actions of Officer Commanding, Mr. Pa Alieu Jawara, in the investigation into the Financial Intelligence Unit report, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice form a special panel.
The report said, “Within ninety days of the STR report against Mr. Aurimas being tabulated, the Attorney General and the Minister for Justice form an independent special panel to examine the process used by the police in the investigation of this report.”
The committee also suggested that Cabinet evaluate, formalize, and gazette any petroleum-related policies before they are put into effect. According to the report, “before being implemented, all alleged petroleum policies should be reviewed by the Cabinet, formalized, and gazetted.”
It also suggested that ullage applications go through competitive review procedures and that importation plans be reinstated as a requirement for ullage allocations.
“All ullage applications ought to undergo a competitive evaluation.” According to the committee report, “administrative disciplinary measures must be applied to any Ministry official found complicit in supporting exclusivity deals.”
Finally, the study underlined that any ministry officials who are discovered to have supported exclusive transactions in collusion should be subject to the proper administrative disciplinary measures. It issued a warning that noncompliance with these suggestions can lead to consequences, such as suspension, termination, or, in certain cases, criminal prosecution.
“Administrative sanctions, suspension, termination, or criminal prosecution, as applicable, will be imposed for noncompliance with these resolutions,” the report stated.
