Culled from Allafrica.  Yet another example of the corruption that is
Jammeh.  Remember when big brother Jerry Rollings was invited as the guest
of honor by the criminal, that's around the time their criminal enterprise
was hatched.  Thanks to The Independent for exposing these criminals.
Please read on.

Shady Foreign Kickbacks Traced Political Payments, Palm-Greasing Traced Back
to 1996

The Independent (Banjul)

February 14, 2003
Posted to the web February 14, 2003

Jalamang Jammeh
Banjul

The Gambia has featured in a report, explaining kick-backs, political
payments and "palm-greasing" that were part of a wider deal involving
ex-President Jerry Rawlings' NDC, COTECNA, a Swiss-based business outfit and
a prominent ring of Gambians (names withheld) dating back to 1996.

Two Ghanaian newspapers late last year published the controversial report,
which described the Gambian connection as the most interesting in a series
of connection in Guinea, Gabon, Namibia and Trinidad and Tobago. The report
claimed that Bright Akwetey, who was state counsel in The Gambia, had helped
with "initiatives that had helped (us go up the ladder) and we are close to
the top".

Both the Crusading Guide (Vol 4, issue No 82) and Daily Guide (issue No 754)
recently published a letter and articles by Kweku Baako Ghanaian Editor in
Chief of the Crusading Guide, who claims to be working with a so-called
Network of International Investigative Journalists and Professional
Researchers, investigating, with a view to exposing the phenomenon of
political payments, kick-backs and palm greasing which characterised both
local and international business and trade transactions traced to The Gambia
during the last four years of President Rawlings' reign in Ghana.

The Crusading Guide carried a letter purportedly written by an influential
Ghanaian, in which, among others, various countries are mentioned including
Namibia, Gabon, Guinea, The Gambia and Trinidad and Tobago as part of a ring
where kick-backs had circled covertly with the knowledge of the governments
of these countries.

A former state counsel was mentioned as having assisted in brokering a
COTECNA deal in The Gambia and who was also expected to travel to
Switzerland on August 27, 1996 to discuss some matters with an undisclosed
person. According to findings, it was an undertaking that a major percentage
of not less than 4 percent of any such deal should remain in the host
country in the name of justice. Safeguards were also put in place to ensure
that President Jerry Rawling's party benefit from the deal. But a close
friend of the then Ghanaian leader had his worries. "COTECNA was going to
have a field day as they tried to cut me out of the deal and proceeded to
throw peanuts at the party (NDC) in order to save money, all in the name of
the president", the letter quoted him as saying.

"I shall then request that they pay, up-front all monies that will upon
projection accrue on my account to the end of the contract period. This
being election year (1996), it could go a long to help renew their contract,
come 1997. I believe they should be happy to part with US$500, 000. We then
share such monies equally as agreed with Honourable Abodakpi or as the
president might deem fit. With me back on track, I will have no excuse but
to go further afield and conquer other territories to our mutual benefit",
the letter pointed out.

"In future I would humbly suggest that the name of the president be the last
resort in any business transactions as he should have the opportunity to
deny any collusion in such matters. As it stands, the president cannot claim
innocence of soliciting funds from the Messeys" the letter quoted the man as
further suggesting.

The portion of the 1996 letter pertaining to The Gambia as published by the
two Ghanaian newspapers recently is reproduced hereunder: The Gambia: The
Gambia is currently the most interesting account.

Initiatives commenced sometime last year and with the help of Mr. Bright
Akwetey, we have gone up the ladder and are now close to the top. On Friday,
16th August 1996, I had a call from Banjul to confirm that the Chairman
(name withheld) is now aware and has accepted the proposal in principle. I
should deem it expedient to fly over to Switzerland on the eve of the 27th
August especially as Mr. Akwetey will then be in Geneva.

I should then commit COTECNA - A Swiss-based pre-shipment inspection company
- to their promised 7 percent out of which I intend to pay not less than 1.5
percent to the party. It is my own general undertaking that a major
percentage of not less than 4 percent should remain in the host country in
the name of justice. The Gambia is a very small account and like Chad,
COTECNA will be vying for 2 percent of Gross instead of 0.95, which pertains
in Ghana.

The Independent will pursue the matter with our Ghanaian contacts and the
Network of International Investigative Journalists and Professional
Researchers to learn more, and will accordingly keep our readers posted on
Baako's findings and revelations.

Background notes

Remember Bright Akwetey? President Jerry Rawlings? BIVAC and the
pre-shipment inspection programme introduced in The Gambia by the Jammeh
government and greatly abhorred by Gambian businesspeople? What do they have
in common?

Akwetey the Ghanaian lawyer was sent by former President Jerry Rawlings to
assist the then AFPRC military junta to prosecute former members of the
ancien regime before commissions of enquiry. Then after doing the dirty
work, apparently he fell out with the junta, and was dumped.

Akwetey and his colleague Letsu were sent packing unceremoniously, after
they were perceived as becoming too powerful (dangerous?) and expensive -
they were being paid in foreign currency - some said hundreds of dollars per
day - for their services.

This also coincided with a cooling of relations between the military
dictatorship in Banjul and Jerry Rawlings just as has now happened with
Muammar Ghadaffi, after all the support and assistance he gave Jammeh and
co. suggesting that they have no ideology or guiding principles, and like
the Americans no permanent friends, only interests.







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