21st September 2004
Bakary Njie Talks
By Ousman Darboe – Daily Observer
The former secretary of state for Communication, Information and Technology, 
Bakary Kebba Njie, also the former managing director of Gamtel, yesterday told 
the commission of inquiry probing the US$3 million fibre optic project signed 
between Gamtel and Siemens of Germany that he became aware of the encashment 
of the US$3 million bank guarantee through a letter written from Gamtel to the 
department of state for Foreign Affairs.
"I became aware that the bank guarantee of US$3 million which was issued by 
Standard Chartered Bank, Gambia, was encashed by Befag Ag, through a letter 
written from Gamtel to the state department of External Affairs seeking 
assistance from our ambassador in Brussels for the recovery of the encashed money. The 
letter was not addressed to the Gamtel line ministry but was copied to us. I 
would be able to recognise it when shown to me."
He identified the letter and said that after receiving the letter, he 
summoned a meeting with the then chairman of the Gamtel board Momodou Senghore and 
Abdourahman Mboob, former managing director.
"In my diary on 29 April 2003, I have a five point agenda for discussion. One 
was by-passing the line ministry by Gamtel - not acceptable. The second was 
the Befag case, the ministry was kept in darkness for six months and the other 
point was the future relationship with Siemens concerning item three of my 
agenda which was the Befag should be stopped until the outcome of this saga comes 
to a successful conclusion," he said.
Mr Njie further said as SoS he was responsible for Gamtel and that he asked 
the board chairman, Momodou Senghore why he was not involved to which he 
replied "it was a very sensitive issue and they were trying to treat it 
confidentially within themselves, MD Mboob and Foday Ceesay, finance director, while 
actively pursuing all arrangements for the recovery of the money." He added that he 
then told the board chairman that there should be no secrecy or 
confidentiality in Gamtel beyond the knowledge of the responsible SoS and that after this, 
his department was included in the privileged group.
Mr Njie who told the commission that he wrote a protest letter and called the 
honorary consular of The Gambia to Germany, Mr Becker on the encashed US$3 
million said he also spoke to the Gambian ambassador in Brussels on the issue 
and "he told me that he is doing everything possible through the help of Mr 
Becker."
The letter of correspondence between him, the ambassador and the consular was 
produced and tendered as an exhibit.
Mr Njie said prior to his sacking in October 2003, he had nothing to do with 
the US$3 million saga, and, that between August 2002 and March 2003, he was 
not aware that a bank guarantee was encashed. "I became aware of this encashment 
in March 2003," he noted.
Bakary Njie said upon his appointment as SoS for Communication, Information 
and Technology no one was appointed to act as acting managing director of 
Gamtel but that he handed over to the deputy managing director, Phoday Sisay. "I 
prepared handing over notes. In the notes, I highlighted the fibre optic project 
in page three," he added. 
He said at the time, Befag were introduced to Gamtel by Siemens because of 
the difficulties Gamtel encountered in funding the fibre optic project and that 
Befag was not cross-checked before the signing of the contract as Siemens is 
an internationally renowned company.
The former managing director of Gamtel said he has been with the company 
since its inception in April 1984 and that prior to that, he was the director of 
the telecommunications department. "I have worked for Gamtel since 1965 and in 
1984 I was appointed managing director when it was newly established which 
merged the functions of Gambia telecommunication department and the cable and 
wireless department. I retired effectively on the 30 June 1999'" he added.
Momodou Senghore, 
Momodou Senghore, the general manager of Taf Holding Corporation told the 
commission probing the US$3 million contract signed between Gamtel and Siemens of 
Germany that at seventh session of the board meeting, approval was given to 
the Gamtel management for a US$3 million loan agreement with Standard Chartered 
Bank Gambia. 
Testifying before the commission last Tuesday, Mr Senghore a shareholder of 
Standard Chartered Bank, Gambia also served as the chairman of Gamtel board of 
directors between May 2002 and September 2003. He said he was appointed as 
chairman of the Gamtel board by the President.
Mr Senghore further said he was aware that Gamtel entered into two contracts 
with Siemens and Befag Ag in 2001.
On the encashment of the bond guarantee, he said, "I was personally informed 
of the bond encashment by Abdourahman Mboob the former managing director a few 
days after the encashment. When Mboob informed me, I advised him to handle 
the matter sensitively because of the potential political implication. Sensitive 
matters discussed at the management and board level were routinely leaked to 
not only the staff but non staff. Mboob had agreed with me that some people 
can use this type of information if they don't have the complete picture or 
slant it to suit their own agenda."
Mr Senghore said that the board was shocked when they were told about the 
bond encashment, and that "the response from people was how could this have 
happened? I must also say that at this stage very few facts were available."
He further added that for confidentiality, the management was informed but 
the details "were mainly confined to myself, MD Mboob, Foday Ceesay finance 
director, Penda Dibba, Gamtel's line ministry and the Office of the President."
He added that soon after the encashment of the US$3 million bond, Standard 
Chartered Bank, Gambia demanded payment from Gamtel and that if the management 
of Gamtel followed up on the board's decision to pursue Siemens to court, "we 
would possibly have obtained results by now. I think legal opinion was sought 
and obtained that Gamtel has a true case against Siemens of Germany."
Gamtel, he said, signed a contract with Siemens to deliver 230,000 new lines 
at the end of the project and Gamtel needed to raise funding to the tune of 
Euro 15 million, for the first phase. "It was proving difficult. The financiers 
there were very wary of the credit risk because of the US$3 million bank 
guarantee," he said.

Mr Senghore further said that up to the time he resigned from the Gamtel 
board, he had not seen any documents stating whether or not Gamtel had accepted 
liability of the US$3 million.
The former Gamtel board chairman said he has been a shareholder of Standard 
Chartered Bank, Gambia since 1978 but regarded suggestions of a conflict of 
interest as "utter insult to my integrity. I was first offered a directorship of 
the bank in 1995 and I turned it down because at that time I was the chief 
executive officer and managing director of Shell Marketing and Shell being a 
customer of Standard Bank, I felt there was a potential for conflict of interest. 
While I was serving as the chairman of board of directors of Nawec, I was 
concurrently serving as managing director of Shell."
Mr Senghore further said he did recommended a loan agreement to the committee 
but that before signing the loan agreement with Standard Chartered Bank, 
Gambia the board in discussed it at meetings and that there were no objections to 
the loan agreement with Standard Chartered Bank.
His letter of appointment letter as the chairman of Gamtel board of directors 
was tender and marked as exhibit 69.

Wahh Duul! Noppi Deyh! Yahya's interpretation: Absolutely, no dissenting 
voice against Yahya or A[F]PRC, or NIA thugs will beat, maimed or kill victim; 
Being apolitical or intimidated, ultimate faith is Suddent Death Syndrome, #1 
killer of Gambians since July 22, 1994

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