“As the audit report confirms during my trial at the Law Courts, the total receipts for the 2 years mentioned amounted to D3.1 million Dalasi. One cannot therefore steal what never existed, hence, following the States' Principal Witness' testimony that he does not know anything about any missing D4 million and the Independent Auditor's confirmation during my trial that as far as the audit exercise is concerned during 2003 & 2004, there was nothing that implicates me in any shape or form. There was nothing missing. Since I have never been the treasurer; don’t receive monies; never kept the books of account; the only way I could have been implicated is for the treasurer to prove that I have received D4 million from the GSA account, of course, assuming that there was D4 million in the account in the first place; or, for some one or some people to prove that I have received from them D4 million. In which case he or they will have state why they gave me D4m and why wait for 4 years to report it. At that juncture of the trial, i.e. following the testimony of the Independent Auditor, the Hon. Attorney Generaland Minister of Justice immediately issued a 'Nolle Prosequi' instructing the Magistrate to "TAKE NOTICE THAT THE HONOURABLE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA HEREBY ENTERS A 'NOLLE PROSEQUI' AND ACCORDINGLY INFORMS THIS HONOURABLE COURT THAT THE STATE INTENDS THAT THE PROCEEDINGS IN THE CRIMINAL CASE NO... FILED AGAINST THE ACCUSED PERSON ALIEU MOMARR NJIE SHALL NOT CONTINUE BUT BE DISCONTINUED FORTHWITH".
These were the exact words of the sacked KMC Mayor and Scout Commissioner Alieu Momaar Njie. As promised, we have a list classified state files to share with our readership. These documents were forwarded by a competent source. Please read part three of this damning revelations.
DATED THIS 7TH DAY OF NOVEMBER 2007.
SIGNED: HON. MARIE SAINE-FIRDAUS (MRS.)
RE: GAMBIA SCOUT ASSOCIATION
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
During the past few months I have read so much distorted mails being circulated about me in the internet, which I had in the past ignored, culminating with that of Nigel L. Speakman as circulated by Regional Director Rubina Haroon that left me no option but to put the record straight - once and for all, hence this lengthy rejoinder.
The Gambia Scout Association (GSA) saga began in September 2004. While I was attending the ASC Conference in Mauritius, some disgruntled scout leaders made complains about me to Chief Scout H.E. President Jammeh, bypassing The National Scout Council. The Chief Scout, without consultations, issued my dismissal letter. I respectfully informed him that the Scout Movement is non political; that the hiring and firing of the Chief Commissioner is the sole prerogative of the National Scout Council; that his role is purely ceremonial. The National Scout Council also wrote to him expressing their concern.
As a result, the Chief Scout wrote to the Vice President of the Republic expressing his congratulations for resolving the GSA problems as well as lending his support to the GSA. That letter was copied to the Chief Commissioner - me. (Letter attached). You will also see in the attached letters from State House addressed to me on numerous occasions 'Alieu Momarr Njai, Chief Scout Commissioner, even including the letter of appointment as Lord Mayor of KMC while serving as one of 5 Independent Electoral Commissioners; it was addressed Alieu Momarr Njai (Chief Scout Commissioner). It will be seen that up to the time I received the letter from Chief Scout President Jammeh relieving me of my appointment as Chief Commissioner effective 5th October, 2007, I was recognised as the Chief Scout Commissioner by the President of the Republic, The National Scout Council as well as the World Organisation of the Scout Movement. If that dismissal was effective since 6th October 2004, who was the Chief Commissioner since then? Or was the GSA operating in a vacuum without a Chief Executive? Therefore, the circulation of my dismissal letter of 6th October 2004 now is a deliberate attempt to tarnish my image.
As stated above, The Chief Scout does not have the mandate to appoint or terminate the appointment of the Chief Commissioner. However, because of the political nature of the present situation vis-à-vis my dismissal as Lord Mayor of the most populous and richest municipality in the Gambia, I will not challenge this decision. I had since handed over my duties and responsibilities to the National Executive Commissioner Alhajie Player on 10th October 2007. Regional Director Rubina Haroon had circulated the appointment of Mr. Alhajie Player as Acting Chief Commissioner on 2nd January 2008
Last September, while serving as Lord Mayor of the Kanifing Municipality, I was charged with stealing, 4 years ago, the sum of D4 million (Four Million Dalasi) from the Gambia Scout Association (2003 & 2004). The very next day one of the local newspapers published that the amount is US$ 4.8 million (D120 million). As everyone knows, the GSA does not receive subvention from anywhere - not from Central or Local Government, nor from the World Scout Bureau or from any institution locally or externally.
As the audit report confirms during my trial at the Law Courts, the total receipts for the 2 years mentioned amounted to D3.1 million Dalasi. One cannot therefore steal what never existed, hence, following the States' Principal Witness' testimony that he does not know anything about any missing D4 million and the Independent Auditor's confirmation during my trial that as far as the audit exercise is concerned during 2003 & 2004, there was nothing that implicates me in any shape or form. There was nothing missing. Since I have never been the treasurer; don’t receive monies; never kept the books of account; the only way I could have been implicated is for the treasurer to prove that I have received D4 million from the GSA account, of course, assuming that there was D4 million in the account in the first place; or, for some one or some people to prove that I have received from them D4 million. In which case he or they will have state why they gave me D4m and why wait for 4 years to report it. At that juncture of the trial, i.e. following the testimony of the Independent Auditor, the Hon. Attorney Generaland Minister of Justice immediately issued a 'Nolle Prosequi' instructing the Magistrate to "TAKE NOTICE THAT THE HONOURABLE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA HEREBY ENTERS A 'NOLLE PROSEQUI' AND ACCORDINGLY INFORMS THIS HONOURABLE COURT THAT THE STATE INTENDS THAT THE PROCEEDINGS IN THE CRIMINAL CASE NO... FILED AGAINST THE ACCUSED PERSON ALIEU MOMARR NJIE SHALL NOT CONTINUE BUT BE DISCONTINUED FORTHWITH".
Following the above instruction, I was asked by the police to clarify certain issues. The statement I made is herewith attached. I dare say that Instead of being charged for stealing, I should have been commended for using my own personal resources to develop the GSA to what it became today. When I took over the GSA in 1996, I was given handing over notes - no pen, paper or file or office; no vehicles either. There was D4, 000 in the bank and I inherited a lot of goodwill. I personally paid the drivers salaries, service and maintained the vehicles; use my own home as office when the action group refused to vacate the Little Trees Camp site; paid telephone bills; bought office stationery; paid for my own numerous travels abroad; (the GSA paid for only one travel to South Africa in 1999. The cost was from funds that were generated from the Chile Jamboree (Operation ‘Los Andes’ $11,860) that belonged to the participants who sponsored themselves but I persuaded them to donate it to the GSA. I could have easily pocketed this sum.
Those of you whom I met abroad, be it in North or South America, Europe, The Middle East, Far East or Africa on scouting events must know that scout associations don't sponsor their Chief Commissioners to attend any event. Therefore, Scout leaders who occupy certain positions should be financially independent. They must not dupe people by taking monies from them with the promise of getting them visas to travel abroad as is the practice here by those aspiring to take over. These are concrete facts that can’t be denied. There are incontrovertible evidences of this practice perpetrated by Khan & Co. that I forwarded to the police and I hope the Police will now act as instructed by H.E. Chief Scout President Jammeh on 2 occasions to investigate my report against those scout leaders who are now claiming to take over the GSA. In fact, during a meeting of the Steering Committee attended by Lamine Diawara, Khan admitted to receiving monies from scouts in order to arrange for them to travel abroad.
IT IS NOW GLARINGLY EVIDENT THAT THE WHOLE OBJECTIVE OF TEAMING UP AGAINST ME WAS TO TAKE OVER THE GSA TO ENRICH THEMSELVES AS HAVE NOW BEEN PROVEN. SOME OF THEM ARE NOW FUGITIVES BECAUSE THEY ARE BEING HUNTED BY THOSE FROM WHOM THEY RECEIVED MONIES WITHOUT GETTING THEM VISAS.
Over the years, I have spent tens of thousands of Dollars in travel expenses from my own personal resources.
Apart from the $10,000 (D300,000) sponsorship by the IUMS for the Gambia to organise and host the first ever Gambia/ ECOWAS Jamboree (22 - 29 July 2004 - for which I had used my position as Vice Chairman of the IUMS to obtain the sponsorship, 95% of the GSA's income are deposits made by scouts who self-sponsor themselves to attend jamborees abroad. From their deposits, insurances are bought, visa fees paid and camp fees remitted to the jamboree organisers abroad. If they succeed in obtaining visas, air-tickets are then bought and any balance belongs to the participants, less non refundable administrative fee of D2,500 per participant introduced in 2005. Those who do not succeed to obtain a visa, would have lost their visa fees, insurance and non-refundable fee. The balance of their deposits are then given back to them, including their camp fees when these are received from the jamboree organisers. All these conditions are agreed to and signed for by the participant at the outset. To ensure that participants come back home after the jamboree, they are required to give collateral of D75,000 in the form of landed property. These transactions are handled by their respective Divisional Commissioners and the National Executive Commissioner.
At no time was the GSA's bank accounts been ever controlled by one person as stated by Mr. Speakman. Throughout my tenure as Chief Commissioner, I have never ever kept books of account, signed alone or treat the GSA's account as my personal property.
The Treasurer (Finance Commissioner) is responsible for the accounts of the GSA. The records are there for anyone to see. I don't receive monies or make payments. As CC I countersign cheques, but since July 2005, I was never consulted in the operation of both the GSA and Jacobs Foundation accounts. I had to write to the banks to remove the signatures of Treasurer Gibou Njie and National Executive Commissioner Baboucar Khan when they were dismissed from the GSA. Baboucar Khan's reckless spending and that of Treasurer Gibou Njie are enumerated in my report. This is one of the reasons why I refused to approve the audited accounts for 2005 for both the GSA's and Jacobs Foundation Project accounts.
Most of those listed as members of the National Executive Committee as contained in the e-mail of Nigel L. Speakman were expelled from the GSA at a joint meeting of the National Scout Council and the National Executive Committee on the instructions of H.E. Chief Scout President Jammeh (see letters emanating from State House and the Department of Youth & Sports). Moreover, Baboucar Jammeh who prepared the list has never held any Executive post that I know of. Therefore, anyone dealing with any of those listed is dealing with a renegade power hungry group. I understand that some of them have absconded because they had received colossal amounts from non-scouts with the promise of taking them to the World Centenary Jamboree in UK. These are very desperate people who will stop at nothing. That is why they can't afford to face the fact that they are no longer in the system.
It is indeed regrettable, lamentable and unfortunate that in their quest to hold office, come what may, some will be totally oblivious to the norms governing the Scout Movement.
May I also point out that in October 2004, the World Bureau had despatched the then Deputy Director of the Africa Region Mr. Abdoulaye Saine and the Director of the Dakar Operational Centre Lamine Diawara to the Gambia to deal with the complains of the commissioners against me.
As a result, a Steering Committee was instituted which included the aggrieved Commissioners and myself as well as other members of the National Council. The Committee was to report within 3 months. It took 13 months to produce a voluminous report. I addressed all the issues contained in that report. Having carefully analysed both reports. H.E. Chief Scout President Jammeh gave the following instructions vide letter ref OP 127/01/PART III (44) dated 26th February 2006 addressed to the Department
of Youth & Sports:-
a Request for an immediate audit of the Gambia Scout Association's main account and the Jacobs Foundation Project Account. Any unauthorised expenditure to be immediately refunded.
b The report of the Chief Commissioner to the Police to be immediately investigated and appropriate action taken.
c The Chief Commissioner to immediately restructure the National Executive Committee with the mandate to prepare a new constitution followed by an election of a New Executive Committee.
As for a) above, you will see from the attached correspondences that there was strong resistance from treasurer Gibou Njie to have the audit exercise carried out, and for National Executive Commissioner Baboucar Khan to hand over the GSA's assets. The Department of State for Youth & Sports had to write to the Police who had them arrested when they refused to cooperate, detained and forced to hand over the Office, vehicles and books of account. These handing over notes were witnessed by 3 Police Officials.
Having verified the Audited Accounts presented by the Auditor on 30th August 2007 I had signed the accounts for 2003 and 2004 but refused to approve the accounts for 2005 in respect of the GSA's account and the Jacobs Foundation Project account for 2005. I have listed 122 queries. Furthermore, despite Chief Scout President Jammeh’s instruction to have the 2006 accounts audited, the treasurer responsible Mr. Gibou Njie is yet to hand over the documents to the auditors. It should be noted that Mr. M.A. Cham who was Treasurer from 1998 to 31st December 2004 had handed over all the books of account and supporting documents to his successor Mr. Gibou Njie who signed as having received them but stated in court that he had lost some of the supporting documents. Of course, we all know what happened to the documents - they were deliberately destroyed.
As will be seen in the letter from State House addressed to the Department of Youth & Sports dated 2nd March 2007,:-
"His Excellency the President has directed that Mr. Ebou Manneh as well as other trouble makers should be dismissed from the Gambia Scout Association. His Excellency the President has also approved the following recommendations made by Mr. Alieu Momarr Njai, Chief Commissioner
* The National Executive Committee to access GSA Offices
* Both GSA and Jacobs Foundation Project be audited as at 31st December 2006 so that any incoming Executive will start with a clean slate
* The Police to conduct further investigations without further delay
* Scout vehicles to be handed over to the Executive Committee".
It must be appreciated that I was the one who had always insisted for an audit.
As regards b) my report to the Police documented list of people and receipts issued to them by Baboucar Khan who collected huge amounts of monies from would be jamboree participants. Khan had used a receipt book containing 50 receipts I gave him in May 2004 to seek local donations for the Gambia/ECOWAS jamboree. I intercepted one receipt he issued to a scout for D5,000 as payment for Jamboree; I requested the Police to enquire from Khan what happened to the 49 other receipts in the book. Having now exhausted that receipt book, Khan then went to print his own receipt books. Receipts Khan issued from those books he printed himself to scouts and non-scouts alike to facilitate travel visas were intercepted and surrendered to the police for investigation. Also, Khan bought a desk from the Jacobs foundation project account for D50,000 when the budget for furniture was pegged at D7,500. He was instructed to return the desk and ask for refund. The desk was returned and, 3 years later, nothing has been paid back into the Jacobs Project account .
Concerning c) having restructured the Executive Committee and removed most of them as members of the Executive Committee, they steadfastly refused to accept their dismissal. They then went on to organise their own AGM on 20th May 2006 at the school for the blind, first time in the GSA's 85 year history that an AGM took place outside State House. They elected officials including the President of the National Council while Alhajie A.E. Cham-Joof is still serving as the President of the Council. They then went on to elect a Chief Commissioner.
Our constitution does not have provision for the election of a Chief Commissioner, he is appointed by the National Council. Unless there is a constitutional change, the status-quo remains. In order to change our constitution, the new constitution or changes to the existing one must be adopted by the GSA, then sent to the World Scout Bureau for endorsement; thereafter it must be taken to the Gambia's National Assembly for ratification. Our constitution is an ACT of Parliament. None of the above procedures has taken place thereby nullifying the election of Chief Commissioner at that AGM. Moreover, if this unconstitutional act is ignored, any group of scouts can call up an AGM anywhere anytime and pass whatever resolutions they dream of.
As instructed, a new Constitution has been prepared and circulated.
The AGM also approved the accounts that were neither signed by me as Chief Commissioner nor by the Auditors that prepared them. No audited account anywhere in the world will be valid unless signed by the auditors that prepared them. The unauthorised and illegal AGM took place on 20th May 2006 when the accounts were tabled and adopted. It is ironic that on 30th August 2007 the Auditors, Augustus Prom, Certified Chartered Accountants tabled the audited accounts for the years 2003, 2005 & 2005 in the presence of Khan (former National Executive Commissioner); M.J.E. Sambou (pseudo President of the National Scout Council) ; Gibou Njie former Finance Commissioner, Mr. M. A. Cham former Finance Commissioner who signed the 2003 & 2004 accounts and countersigned by me; and 3 top ranking Police officers. Gibou Njie signed the 2005 accounts but I refused to countersign because of the 122 queries I had raised which are not yet addressed.
The Independent Electoral Commission that was requested to conduct the elections saw its unconstitutionality and the chaos at the venue, refused to conduct the elections and left. (Kindly note that I was not a Member of the Commission then). The Department of State for Youth & Sports wrote categorically condemning the AGM and warned them its outcome will no be accepted. In desperation, on 13th January 2007, they convened again to ratify the resolutions passed at the AGM and asked me to hand over my duties as Chief Commissioner.
Having ignored their call to hand over, they then went to the Little Trees Camp Site and organise a handing over ceremony from me to the new Chief Commissioner. The National television showed the ceremony but failed to show who was handing over, what was being handed over and to whom was anything being handed over. It was quite a spectacular charade. Their actions clearly demonstrates that these are very desperate people; If there are any people that should be "put out of business" as Nigel L. Speakman puts it, these are the very people that should be "put out of business".
Both Little Trees Skills Training Centre and the Soma Scout Training Centre are being sponsored from abroad. These training centres belongs to the GSA. However, the GSA had made several attempts to have the sponsors of these centres account to the GSA the huge funds raised abroad in the name of scouting for the Gambia without success. I challenge those responsible for raising monies abroad on our behalf to come clean and declare what they have been collecting over the years. In this respect I challenge Mr. Andy Geddes of the UK Gambia Project and Karen Boldsen of ISGF Denmark to declare how much they have raised over the years in the name of the Gambia Scout Association and how much was brought to the Gambia and how was it spent and to whom was it given. Why should the World Bureau be silent about this matter ? This has been a very contentious issue between me personally and those responsible abroad. The GSA do not know what is being collected abroad on its behalf, how it is being spent despite raising this issue over the years with them. Is it proper that the parent association is kept in the dark about what is being collected and spent on its behalf?
Let me also take this opportunity to inform Bob Mole of the Gambia Scout Project that I had ignored the fabrications and innuendoes contained in his e-mail of September 2007. The scouts he met in the Gambia were not members of the legal and recognised Executive Committee. These were the dismissed members as stated above. The GSA was invited to send 36 scouts to the World Scout Jamboree.
A total of 32 scouts were selected and their camp fees were remitted to the jamboree organisers in the UK. Unfortunately, only 6 were issued visas. I arrived at the jamboree site in Chelmsford on Monday 30th July 2007. Because of flight problems, none of the Gambians had arrived at the camp at that time. The computer had shown that they were camped with the Tanzanians. I challenge Bob Mole to tell me the name of the Gambian IST member who told him that I was asked to leave the jamboree site by WOSM. Let him also reveal the name of the WOSM member. When I arrived at the Jamboree site, I was issued an ID tag no. SPE147090 valid 30/7 – 12/8. I was not a participant, never spent a night at the site. I visited the site again on Wednesday 1st August and met 2 Scouts from the Gambia (Jammeh and Njie) who informed me that the 4 others from the Gambia were somewhere at the IST Camp. I visited the camp again on 10th August and met 2 IST members from the Gambia - Alhajie Player, National Executive Commissioner and Momodou Mendy the KMC Commissioner. They were busy dismantling and packing materials after the closure of the camp site.
I was visiting the United Kingdom in my capacity as Lord Mayor of KMC. I had meetings with Local Government Officials in London and Chelmsford. My air-ticket and travel expenses were paid for by the Municipality. It is outright fabrication that I had registered 30 scouts with the expectation of receiving substantial grant towards their costs. All participants from the Gambia sponsored themselves. I understand 4 received monies from a donor in the UK. No scout in the Gambia will tell you that I have ever been involved in their financial transactions. My maxim throughout my tenure as Chief Commissioner is 'do not pay your money to anyone except the Finance Commissioner'. My bitterest enemies will vouch for this fact.
All payments are handled by the Finance Commissioner. For the past 2 years, the participants themselves go to the bank and pay into the association's account their deposits. The Finance Commissioner is than given a COPY OF THE BANK PAYING SLIP. How on earth can I then benefit from any sponsorship? I do not participate in the selection of the participants. This is the responsibility of the respective Divisional Commissioners. Again, my worst enemy will vouch that I am above board when it comes to selecting participants for jamborees or to be involved in any financial transaction. If anything, I have lost monies I loaned to some scouts for their travels.
May I point out that scouting in the Gambia is voluntary and no salary is attached to the responsibilities associated with the work undertaken. It is therefore inappropriate to entrust such responsibilities to people who are not financially and materially endowed. As it is, most of those involved in this saga don't even own a chicken coop. Given the opportunity, they will continue to fleece those eager to seek greener pastures abroad.
No one has the right to condemn or judge anyone guilty because that person is accused. We know of people who were tried and found guilty, then executed, only to find out later that they were totally innocent. That is why there are several steps of appeals - from the lower courts all the way up through the high courts, courts of appeal, supreme courts and lastly to the international human right court in Europe. In politics everything goes.
Let me register herewith my sincere appreciation and gratitude to all my colleagues for keeping me abreast of activities by retaining my e-mail address and sending me all the correspondences. In this regard, special thanks to Rubina and her Nairobi staff, Lamine Diawara, Jos Nanette, Marcel Blaguet and members of the ASC, Isaac Ade, Dr. Dumbuya etc.
Let me close this episode by stating that no matter what is said or written about me, or what my fate is tomorrow, nothing, and no one can ever shake my stature as an honest, decent, honourable and hardworking individual who had risen to occupy the highest position in his community. These are the hard facts – you are welcome to check with anyone, anywhere, anytime.
I am still serving my country and community in various ways and I will always continue contributing my quota in scouting.
The Centenary of Scouting ended the year in great turmoil – in Geneva with the removal of the Secretary General; in Nairobi with a huge shake-up following certain allegations.
I thank ALLAH for HIS guidance and pray that HE continues to guide and protect us as HE has always done in all our endeavours.
Good reading with my very best wishes
Alieu Momarr Njai
4th February 2008