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. _________________________________________________________________ Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~