Bun Dawda made an appearance on AG Radio Tuesday night. He presented an in-depth analysis of the dynamics between NAWEC, Karpower, the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of The Gambia, and State House.
“Karpowership is a Turkish company focused on generating emergency electricity for countries in urgent need, as constructing a power station can be a lengthy process. In some cases, if there is a serious shortage of electricity, they can be contacted, and they bring a ship that supplies electricity for a week or more,” Bun Dawda said.
According to Bun Dawda, Karpowership has been present in several countries, including Senegal, Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, and Lebanon, among others. Karpower has garnered a negative reputation, with allegations of corruption arising in many of the countries where they operate, and the contract with NAWEC is no different.
“Concerning the contracts between the Gambia government and foreign companies, it seems that President Barrow’s primary focus is on the potential for personal gain through bribery. Bribing President Barrow has become a standard procedure that his close associates at the State House routinely have the nerve to inform him of the amount he will be bribed before he signs any government contract,” Bun Dawda said.
Bun Dawda argues that Barrown’s acceptance of the NAWEC-Karpower contract is solely due to the substantial kickbacks he receives from it.
The beneficiaries of the contract between NAWEC and Karpower are not the citizens of The Gambia. The true beneficiaries are Karpower and President Adama Barrow, due to the undisclosed kickbacks he received. Bun Dawda stated that “There was no mechanism established to verify and monitor Karpower, resulting in consistent increases in the cost of services provided to NAWEC, which subsequently charges to its clients, the Gambians in this case.
Providing clarification as to why Gambia government did not renew the NAWEC-Karpower contract, Bun Dawda stated “The only reason President Barrow and Finance Minister Sidi Keita could not continue the fraud on the Karpower contract was the appointment of Dawda Jawara junior as Board Chairman by the SoE Commission. The new board under Dawda Jawara presented a business case beyond a reasonable doubt, and it not only exposed the fraud by President Barrow, Seedy Keita, and their cabal but also made it untenable to continue with NAWEC’s ongoing cash flow problems. This left NAWEC unable to pay KARPOWER invoices, which led to the current controversy over 19.4 million dollars.”
