By: Fatou Krubally
The Gambian Government has admitted “serious governance and regulatory failures” in the $30 million fuel import deal, following a parliamentary inquiry.
This was disclosed by Justice Minister, Dawda Jallow, while speaking on behalf of the government at a press conference held on Friday. According to him, while the inquiry could not establish bribery, money laundering, or tax evasion, it exposed widespread noncompliance and weak oversight.
Minister Jallow told journalists at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center that the parliamentary committee’s report found “substantive allegations of bribery, money laundering and tax evasion … could not be established.” However, he emphasized that the same inquiry revealed “serious governance and regulatory failures, pervasive noncompliance with financial, tax and corporate laws, and troubling disregard to due process by both public institutions and private entities involved in the transaction.”
He explained that the inquiry stemmed from a suspicious transaction report flagged by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), which later involved investigations by the police and the Central Bank. Those investigations, he noted, also produced inconclusive findings but highlighted regulatory lapses that demanded corrective action.
As part of its response, Jallow said the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy had restored the sole regulatory authority for petroleum imports to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) since July 2024. He added that PURA was reviewing its enforcement regulations and expected to adopt updated petroleum licensing guidelines by December 2025.
The Justice Minister further disclosed that the Central Bank had sanctioned two commercial banks following inspections triggered by the FIU report. Meanwhile, the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) has issued “best of judgement” tax assessments against two non-compliant petroleum companies; Creed Energy and Ultimate Beige Limited amounting to D8,576,716 and D12,296,923, respectively, with recovery processes already underway.
Jallow also informed the press that the Attorney General and Minister of Justice would constitute a special independent panel within 90 days to further investigate the conduct of officials involved in handling the FIU report and the police procedures in the case.
Minister Jallow stressed that the government was committed to implementing the parliamentary committee’s recommendations, including stronger internal controls and better inter-agency coordination. “The wheel of justice may be slow, but it will roll out,” he assured, pledging that reforms would safeguard public resources and restore confidence in governance.
