AMRC REPORT INDICTS JUSTICE PAUL, OTHERS
Written by Pa Malick Faye & Alhagie Jobe
Saturday, 02 July 2005

The National Assembly committee established to investigate into the
activities of the Asset Management and Recovery Commission (AMRC), has
ordered Justice MA Paul, former legal adviser of the corporation now High
Court Judge, and S. Loum, operation manager, to pay back to the state the
sum of D222,000.
According to the report, which was circulated to members of the Assembly
by the chairperson of the committee, Belinda Bidwell who is also the
deputy speaker, the sum represents a balance payment of sales for a
property valued at D922,000, by one Mr Bourgi which was received by the
two men, but had never been reflected in the  corporation’s records.


The committee which was formed following an allegation at the Assembly by
the Member for Upper Saloum, Hamat Bah, that the AMRC is defrauding the
government in the sale of confiscated properties, said the whole setup at
the AMRC represents “ kaleioscope of confusion, irregularities, under-
valuation, retention of land for which compensation had already been given
tax evasion and lying under oath.”


In their investigations which included conducting interviews with Justice
Paul, Momodou Lamin Gibba, former managing director of AMRC and his staff,
AMRC’s contracted surveyor, the purchasers concerned, staff of Local
Government departments and members of the general public, as well as field
trips to the sites: the committee discovered that out of the US$200,000,
then an equivalent of  D2 million said to have been bought from the
property, formerly belonging to SS Ceesay on Kairaba Avenue by one Mr
Raslan, only D1.2 million was reflected in the records of the corporation.
This it said, was confirmed by Mr Raslan who admitted paying D1.2 million
to the corporation during an interview with the committee.


The report disclosed that the committee also had interviews with some
clients of the corporation: Messers Walid Bourgi, Hassan Zeitoum and Ahmed
Zeitoum; and discovered that three men lied under oath as to the amounts
they have sold their lands. It further discovered that the three
undervalued the sale of their lands by 50 per cent to evade payment of the
correct capital gains tax, thereby defrauding the State.


The findings also revealed that Walid Bourgi, Hassan Zeitoum and Ahmed
Zeitoum enjoyed certain privileges with the corporation which enable them
to purchase lands that were never tendered -contrary to the rules of AMRC.
They were also given huge lands as compensation commensurate to their
original lands without any justifiable reasons.


“The committee finds it difficult to understand why the operation manager
never went to the field to ascertain the realities on the ground, but
relied on the surveyor, resulting in differences on the sketch and ground
plan,” the report  outlined.


The report further states that during the course of their investigations,
the committee has also  discovered that the surveyor has altered the plan
given to the corporation by its former Land Commissioner Robin Coker from
a triangular piece of land on the ground.


The committee also found out that the whole operation of selling land was
seemly carried out by the operations manager and the legal adviser who
signed and counter-signed everything, even though there was an accountant
and a  financial manager in place.


It also found out that the running of the institution was entirely in the
hands of MA Paul and S. Loum and no proper receipts were issued as they
depend on banks and letter receipts, amongst others.


Meanwhile, the committee has recommended to the NIA, Immigration and
Police not to allow the men indicted on the report to leave the country
without clearance from them, as they intend to look into other AMRC sales
which they may be involved.

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