Deputy Party Leader APRC
By Buba Gagigo
Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction [APRC] Deputy Leader disputed that the government returned seven of his party’s 10 vehicles seized.
Ousman Rambo Jatta disputed Dodou Jah’s claim earlier this week that the Barrow government has returned seven of the party’s 10 vehicles it seized; and added that the former ruling party is expecting the remaining 3 of the seized vehicles.
The APRC Deputy Leader Ousman Rambo Jatta made the remark on Kerr Fatou on Wednesday when informed that an executive member of his party confirmed that APRC received seven of its 10 vehicles seized by the Barrow government.
“Is that executive member part of the negotiating team? Where are the vehicles? We are yet to see any vehicles,” he responded.
Jatta gave the history of the APRC-Barrow government talks, which he said commenced 3 years ago.
“In 2019, we once received a call from former President Yahya Jammeh in Equatorial Guinea, asking us whether we have seen a guy whom Barrow has sent. We told him it was news to us. Then Tombong Jatta told Jammeh that he [Tombong] thought that the reason Barrow wanted to meet them was for APRC to back him [Barrow] in the presidential election.
“Jammeh told Tombong the discussion with the said envoy of Barrow will not begin at backing Barrow at election, but it will end at that. Jammeh asked us, ‘didn’t you people have interest?’ Tombong replied, ‘yes’. Then Jammeh told him, ‘go after your interest’. ‘Where are your vehicles? Where are your accounts? Start with that,’” Rambo Narrated
He continued that one week after their conversation with Jammeh, they received the man Jammeh told them about, and they informed him [Jammeh] about it.
However, Jatta refused to confirm to this medium whether or not, former president Jammeh talks to President Barrow.
“The committee in charge of that negotiation was selected by Jammeh. That is why I do not want to talk. If I talk, it would not be good. As I am talking to you, we are talking with Barrow’s team for that pre-negotiation and I believe we will achieve it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Government spokesperson, Ebrima G. Sankareh told Kerr Fatou earlier this week, “I’m not denying that it happened, but I’m not aware”, when asked whether the government returned 7 of the 1o APRC vehicles it seized.
The former ruling party now in opposition has for the past four years been demanding the release of its frozen assets; after the government froze former president Jammeh’s assets while inquiry into his financial dealings was on. The inquiry, dubbed ‘the Janneh Commission’, concluded that Jammeh stole billions of dalasi from government coffers in his 22-year rule.
Nonetheless, the APRC had always argued that the party’s assets- vehicles and bank account froze, do not belong to Jammeh and therefore should be returned to the party.
Prior to this moment, the APRC confirmed that they are in talks with President Barrow’s NPP among others and some of the key demands they put forward in the negotiations are the return of those assets and the former president himself, among others. Subsequently, rumours have emerged that APRC and NPP have come to terms as a result, NPP leader; President Barrow would return the former ruling party’s assets.
Kerr Fatou with Ousman Rambo Jatta airs July 22nd at 9pm on GRTS TV and Kerr Fatou Facebook & YouTube .
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