Fertilizer scandal: Police charges 2 permanent secretaries, 1 official

Gambian police have charged two former permanent secretaries and one official at the ministry of agriculture in connection to the infamous fertilizer scandal which engulfed the agriculture ministry about a year ago.

Former permanent secretary Sait Drammeh and current permanent secretary Hassan Jallow and Ismaila Bojang are charged with neglect of official duty and conspiracy to commit misdemeanor, the police spokesperson Lamin Njie told Kerr Fatou.

A source from the agriculture ministry informed Kerr Fatou that Bojang is a procurement officer at the Project Coordination Unit of the ministry.

The charges against the officials were recommended by the office of the attorney general, justice minister Abubacarr Tambadou told journalists on Tuesday.

The arrest and charges are in connection to the selling of an obsolete fertilizer in state custody.

Thousands of bags of obsolete fertiliser in the custody of Gambia Government were contracted to one Modou Dibba to reportedly disposed off them but he went to sell them to various clients in and outside the country.

Dibba was contracted for the disposal by the agriculture ministry.

The Justice Minister Tambadou told journalists on Tuesday that their recommendation for prosecution of three people was referred to the police about 3 months ago.

The prosecution will be taken over by the police.

Kerr Fatou has published report about this fertilizer in the custody of Gambia Government which is kept at several stores across the country in 2018.