By Ramatoulie Jawo
The National Assembly Joint Committee on Finance and Public Accounts (FPAC) and the Public Enterprise Committee (PEC) has, for the second time, requested an extension to complete its investigation into the petroleum inquiry.
According to the National Assembly’s order paper, the joint committee was expected to present its findings before lawmakers on Monday. However, instead of submitting a report, the committee appeared before the plenary to request additional time to conclude the investigation.
The committee was tasked with probing the alleged illegal importation of 36,953,614 metric tons of petroleum products, valued at $30 million. The investigation was initiated following a motion by Hon. Sainey Jawara, National Assembly Member for Lower Saloum, on July 22, 2024, called for the establishment of a commission to examine the matter.
Presenting his motion, Hon. Jawara informed fellow lawmakers that the Financial Intelligence Unit had intervened in transactions involving petroleum products that did not adhere to proper banking procedures.
Initially, the committee was given a three-month deadline to complete the investigation and report back to the plenary. However, after failing to meet the deadline, the committee sought and was granted an extension during the last session. The report was then expected to be presented at the first ordinary session of the year.
When the order paper reached the motion for the report’s presentation, the co-chair of the committee, Hon. Lamin J. Sanneh, was given the floor. However, instead of presenting a report, he moved a motion for another extension.
The committee justified its request by stating that only three to four witnesses were left to testify, with some previous witnesses expected to reappear for further questioning. The motion sought an extension until the next plenary session to allow for the completion of the investigation.
During the session, Hon. Fatoumatta Njai, NAM for Banjul South, raised concerns under Standing Order 53(K), arguing that the statement being read was not included in the order paper. As a committee member, she claimed she was unaware of the statement and called on the plenary to refer it back to the committee for review.
Similarly, Majority Leader Hon. Bellay G. Tunkara cited Standing Order 14, which outlines the order of business, pointing out that the order paper indicated a report, not a statement. He noted that unless the Speaker exercised their authority to amend the order paper, the Assembly must adhere to its original provisions.
Hon. Kebba Lang Fofana, a committee member, urged his colleagues to issue an apology, acknowledging that the information conveyed to the public was misleading.“Because when I was coming to work this morning, I overheard on West Coast radio that the joint committee was supposed to lay a report when no report was validated. So I think as an Assembly, this assembly should be very careful as to the type and nature of information we send out there. Because right now the entire country is waiting for a report when what we have inside was never a report, it was supposed to be a simple motion asking for an extension, so as a member of the committee we are apologizing to the entire membership. And the public knows that we have done great work. There is much needed right now, all we want is more time to do it,” he said.
Following a vote on the motion, 27 members supported the extension, while four voted against it. One member abstained. With the majority in favor, the committee was granted additional time to finalize its inquiry.