The GPA Management has responded to reports that it was building a police station at President Adama Barrow’s hometown of Mankamangkunda contrary to its mandate as a parastatal.

The GPA was pressured to make a statement after a letter from the managing director, Ousman Jobarteh, instructing the Trust Bank to pay D744, 941 to Bafaad Enterprise for the construction of a police station at the president’s hometown of Mankamangkunda, was leaked to the press.

A press release issued on Sunday by GPA and signed by the managing director, Ousman Jobarteh, claimed that the construction of the police station at Mankamangkunda was done at the request of the Inspector General of Police.

“The IGP had sent a request to the GPA for the financing of the construction of 3 police stations in URR, namely, Bakadaji, Mankamangkunda and Fatoto, which the Authority had considered under its CSR along the lines of similar interventions in the health, education, agriculture, sports and other sectors,” the release states.

It denies press reports that the construction of the police station came after a directive from the Office of the President.

“The request for the financing of these projects did not ensue from directives issued by the Office of the President.

The GPA added that no rules were broken and that the construction was part of a repayment plan for earlier debts to the central government.

“The appropriate governance procedures were followed at the level of the Ministry of Finance and the GPA Board of Directors and decision was obtained for the relevant payments to be offset against the liability that the GPA owes to Government, which is normally settled in bi-annual instalments.

“It is hoped that the above will serve to shed light on the handling of the URR police stations project.”

The report had caused a public outcry due to the fact that key public sectors are underfunded and that it was not the business of parastatals like the GPA to be building police stations in the country.

Below we reproduce in full the GPA press statement:

The GPA Management has monitored online publications purporting that the institution is sponsoring the construction of a police station at Mankamangkunda and wish to posit as follows.

The IGP had sent a request to the GPA for the financing of the construction of 3 police stations in URR, namely, Bakadaji, Mankamangkunda and Fatoto, which the Authority had considered under its CSR along the lines of similar interventions in the health, education, agriculture, sports and other sectors.

The design, tender and supervision was contracted to GAMWORKS under a Delegated Management Contract (DMC) and the construction works were awarded to the 3 most responsive local firms that submitted bids.

Notwithstanding, the appropriate governance procedures were followed at the level of the Ministry of Finance and the GPA Board of Directors and decision was obtained for the relevant payments to be offset against the liability that the GPA owes to Government, which is normally settled in bi-annual installments.

The request for the financing of these projects did not ensue from directives issued by the Office of the President.

It is hoped that the above will serve to shed light on the handling of the URR police stations project.

Signed:
Ousman M Jobarteh
Managing Director