Hon. Gibbi Mballow The National Assembly Member for Falladou West
By Ramatoulie Jawo
Hon. Gibbi Mballow, the National Assembly Member for Falladou West, advised the Gambian government on Monday to sever any business ties with the Swiss company SIPCA.
“I am not interested in anything associated with the company, and I urge my fellow National Assembly Members not to be interested either.
He alleged that SIPCA has been ranked as the most corrupt company in the world. Citing a troubling article he read about the company’s activities in Ghana, he emphasized that The Gambia should not align itself with a company known for corruption. He urged the Minister of Digital Economy, the Vice President, and the Minister of Justice to thoroughly investigate the company before any government engagement.
“We are fighting corruption, and I see no reason why we should do business with a corrupt company. I urge my fellow NAMs to look into the dealings of the company,” Hon. Mballow added. He stressed the importance of vetting every company before entering into business, stating, “We cannot just sign agreements or do business with people that are already rated as criminals in the world.”
“The article I read in Ghana clearly indicates that SIPCA has no space in the Gambia. Whoever advised the president to do business with the company must come to parliament and explain to us why he/she did so. I am writing a parliamentary question on that because I am so concerned about it,” he stated.
He emphasized the nation’s commitment to combating corruption at all levels through practical measures.
Echoing these concerns, Hon. Kebba Jallow, the National Assembly Member for Jarra Central, informed members that the trade committee of the National Assembly had engaged stakeholders on the issue of the SIPCA agreement. He mentioned that the GRA, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Trade, and local producers were involved.
“Calling the GRA, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Trade, and local producers within the country. Hon. Speaker, in that engagement, we learned that the agreement did not go well with the permanent secretary of the ministry of Trade because he gave them his advice, but they did not pay attention to his advice,” he informed members.
He claimed that SIPCA has been the target of numerous corruption allegations and is under investigation in Switzerland and other countries.
“The company was fined $90.6 million for corporate criminal liability over the payment of bribery in various countries. A former sales manager of the same company was also given a conditional prison sentence of 170 days. We are not saying compliance should not be attended to; we should go for compliance, but in as much as we monitor compliance, we also consider the fact that we must not kill the goose that lays our golden eggs,” he said.
In his State of the Nation Address, President Adama Barrow mentioned that, in collaboration with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and The Gambia Revenue Authority, the government has engaged SIPCA, a company in South Africa, to implement a revenue assurance and traffic monitoring system. “This system is to guarantee accurate taxation on both international and local voice traffic, including value-added services,” stated the president.