“I had a very close working relationship with Lt Gen Cham and I would often do his official duties and personal errands for him,” Sgt Saine told Kerr Fatou in an interview. “But the relationship soured, said Saine, and he felt it was time to go public with what he believes are unethical and possibly criminal activities involving the CDS.
The allegations relate to boats seized by the Gambian navy, which were said to be used to transport irregular migrants. Saine alleged that Lt. Gen. Cham would corrupt the process by setting the reserve prices of the boats unusually low after they were seized and put up for public auction.
He also alleged the CDS would then make arrangements to purchase the vessels himself by paying a small portion of the agreed amount, promising to pay the rest later — payments, Saine says, were never made.
Saine said the boats are then repaired, repainted and registered in the name of Lt. Gen. Cham through the Gambia Maritime Administration before being used in private commercial fishing operations.
Saine says the actions are in breach of Section 5.3 of the Gambia Armed Forces Code of Conduct which prohibits serving military personnel from engaging in private business activities which conflict with the interests of the Republic of The Gambia. The provision would prohibit military officers from holding direct or indirect financial interests that could conflict with their official duties and responsibilities.
Kerr Fatou said it looked at screenshots of a WhatsApp conversation allegedly between Sgt. Saine and a contact saved as “CDS.” The messages allegedly included chats and images about boats and engines. The media outlet said it could not independently verify if the number belonged to Lt. Gen. Cham, but the exchanges seemed to relate to the coordination and collection of boat-related items.
In one message, Saine allegedly wrote: “Good morning sir, engine collected from home and boat collected from navy and some boat items. The CO Navy worked very hard and supported the process for your update, sir.” The response from the person the “CDS” was directed to was reportedly: “Excellent, thanks for the coordination.”
Photo and video images of a fishing vessel known as “Aji Amie Secka Cham” were also presented by Sgt. Saine. He also submitted registration receipts from the Gambia Maritime Administration for two vessels – Aji Amie Secka Cham 1 and Aji Amie Secka Cham 2 – which allegedly list Mamat O.A. Cham as both payee and licensed owner.
Kerr Fatou said it could not independently confirm if the vessels were among those seized previously in operations linked to migrant transport.
The Gambia Armed Forces and Lt. Gen. Cham have not yet responded publicly to the allegations. The allegations, if proven, could bring wider issues of transparency, accountability and handling of confiscated assets in the nation’s military outfit.
