So the A(F)PRC belongs to Yaya Jammeh? Oh my God what a shame! Can democracy fit in that? I am positive that Yaya jammeh is not a democrat and does not believe in it! Omar Joof. >From: Luntang <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Baba Jobe talks >Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 17:15:11 +0100 > >Baba Jobe talks >By PK Jarju >Feb 24, 2004, 12:40 > >Baba Jobe, chairman and CEO of the Youth Development Enterprise (YDE), >yesterday testified before Justice MA Paul in the ongoing >economic crimes trial involving him and others. > >Giving his evidence before a crowded courtroom which lasted over four >hours, the House Majority leader said YDE was formed in 1995 >with the aim of providing affordable, reliable and essential commodities as >well as to empower youths in the country. He added that >his role as CEO was to make sure that policies drawn up by President Jammeh >who is the company's financier, are properly implemented >in collaboration with Government by providing and stabilising essential >basic commodities to the people. > >"In doing so, YDE normally helds meetings with the authorities concerned, >especially the Department of State for Finance to draw up >affordable prices for its [YDE] commodities. During these meetings, we >normally agree that there must be a consensus from both >government allowing YDE to sell at a lower price in exchange for lower >import duties," he said. > >Mr Jobe said he always had meetings with SoS Famara Jatta and permanent >secretary Dodou Bammy Jagne to discuss prices for every >consignment imported into the country by YDE. He added that although he >receives instructions directly from President Jammeh to make >sure that YDE policies are implemented, President Jammeh had no hand in the >implementation of those policies. "This is entirely left >with the Department of State for Finance and other institutions concerned >like GPA," he said. > >Mr Jobe said government has agreed to give a duty waiver on quarterly bases >to YDE because of its contribution to the poverty >alleviation programme and that YDE did not pay duties because of the >"gentleman's agreement" it had with the Department of State for >Finance. > >He said as part of this agreements, YDE financed many government projects >such as the crop financing of the 1998/99 season at a tune >of US$5 million as well as the financing of 176 vehicles provided by >President Jammeh to government and the APRC at a cost of over >US$2.2 million. He said YDE, also under the instructions of President >Jammeh, pre-financed the transportation of Cuban doctors >through the Department of State for Finance and the campaign materials for >the APRC worth US$428,980. "YDE spent these monies on the >APRC because it was part of the APRC, which belongs to President Jammeh," >he said. >This, according to him, showed that the relationship between YDE and >Government "was not just an ordinary one. Directly or >indirectly, it was one arm of the government," he said. > >Baba Jobe said he "totally disagreed" with the offences he has been charged >with, "simply because the gentleman's agreement YDE had >with SoS Jatta and Bammy Jagne was still in place. The main objectives of >YDE such as affordability, availability, stability and >youth empowerment were sold to them and they agreed," he said. >Mr Jobe noted that YDE has from 2000, stuck to the agreement with the >authorities until they were dragged to court. > >With regard to stability, he revealed that YDE had an agreement with the >authorities to bring large quantities of essential >commodities like rice and sugar into the country which are stored in >warehouses for six months or more in order to stabilise prices. >That he said, prevented events in the world market from reflecting >[inimically] on the price of rice in the country. > >He added that YDE has provided affordable essential commodities and up to >the time of his arrest, a bag of rice cost not more than >D350 in any part of the country. "We are the highest importer of rice in >the country for the past three years and we have the best >quality of rice," he said. > >Mr Jobe stressed that by looking at the operations of YDE "logically, one >cannot say it owed any money to government. If you tell me >to reduce my import value to enhance its affordability to Gambians and to >subsidise my duties in turn for my contribution to poverty >alleviation for all these years and all of a sudden you turn and say I >should pay despite the gentleman's agreement in place and YDE >being part and parcel of government, then we all know that there is a >problem elsewhere. We all know were the problem is and despite >making all these expenses on government projects, we accepted the >responsibility and started negotiations for payment," he said. > >Mr Jobe said Customs & Excise have refused to accept invoices given to them >by Buba Senghore on the ground that they had already >done their indicative value assessment and that using YDE's invoices would >result to higher value. He added that GPA, Customs the >Department of State for Finance have never requested invoices from him and >that YDE's application for direct delivery were always >sent to the office of the former director-general of Customs, Ousman Mboge >by Buba Senghore. "Before processing the application, Mr >Mboge always asked Buba Senghore to talk with SoS Jatta and Dodou Bammy >Jagne who after discussions with me act in accordance with >the gentleman agreement by contacting Mr Mboge who would grant us direct >delivery," he explained. > >He said he had a meeting with the present director-general of Customs, >Momodou Kabba Tambajang during which they discussed the >previous arrangements YDE had with one Veronique [Carayol], a Customs >officer to whom over US$500 was paid to. "This was why I was >very surprised when Customs failed to produce any document in court >regarding the agreement we had," he said. >The case continues today with Baba Jobe expected to continue giving >testimony. >© Copyright 2003 by Observer Company > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >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 > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus&pgmarket=en-ca&RU=http%3a%2f%2fjoin.msn.com%2f%3fpage%3dmisc%2fspecialoffers%26pgmarket%3den-ca ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~