The National Assembly has ordered the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) to submit the findings of a police investigation into an alleged D39.15 million fraud after auditors uncovered what they described as widespread financial irregularities involving revenue suppression, fraudulent receipts, unauthorized rent waivers, and suspected staff collusion.
The directive was issued by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Public Enterprises (PEC) in its report on the audited financial statements, management letters, and activity reports of state-owned enterprises for the 2022 financial year.
The report, tabled before lawmakers by Committee Chairperson Hon. Lamin J. Sanneh, says the National Audit Office (NAO) conducted a special audit that identified suspected fraud amounting to D39.15 million and recommended further investigation.
“From the review of the fraud report and further discussions with the NAO, the auditors noted that the report concluded suspected fraud totaling D39.15 million,” the committee stated.
According to the audit, D7.58 million relates to rent allegedly unpaid on delivered containers, while D2.96 million stems from partially paid rent and demurrage charges for containers that had already been released.
Auditors also identified D5.02 million allegedly lost through the use of fraudulent D25 receipts to facilitate the release of containers from the port.
The report further cites D22.61 million in rent waivers reportedly approved by successive managing directors and an additional D950,000 in unaccounted rental income from motor vehicles.
Beyond the financial losses, the audit raised concerns over possible collusion among personnel in the Rating, Delivery, and Documentation units. Auditors also reported the alleged use of fraudulent gate passes to enable the unauthorized removal of containers and vehicles from the port, pointing to what appears to be significant weaknesses in internal controls.
In response, the committee directed the GPA Board and Management to submit the Inspector General of Police’s investigation report immediately after the police inquiry is concluded.
“The committee recommends that the Board and Management present the IGP investigation report to the committee upon completion,” the report states.
The committee also highlighted several accounting and financial reporting deficiencies uncovered during the audit.
Among them were bank balances totaling D443,445 held at GTBank and €60,000 at Ecobank that were not reflected in the Authority’s accounting records.
Auditors further identified an unexplained discrepancy of D1.49 million between the General Ledger and bank reconciliation statements for the GHIB PLC Sterling Account.
The report also exposed major inconsistencies in GPA’s inventory records. Differences between the General Ledger and inventory valuation reports across several inventory categories amounted to approximately D102.2 million, raising fresh concerns about the reliability of the Authority’s financial reporting.
To address the deficiencies, Parliament instructed the GPA Board and Management to investigate and reconcile all outstanding discrepancies and submit a comprehensive report to the committee.
“The committee recommends that the Board and Management investigate and reconcile the differences between the General Ledger and the inventory valuation report and report back to the committee by 30 June 2026,” the report states.
The findings form part of Parliament’s broader oversight of state-owned enterprises and are expected to intensify scrutiny of financial management practices at one of the country’s most strategic public institutions as lawmakers await the outcome of the police investigation.
