The minister for Youth and Sports is facing a public backlash after authorising the payment of nearly £3000 travelling allowance to his wife for official trips to UK and Turkey. 

The trips were to attend the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the Islamic Games in Turkey as part of the official Gambia delegation. 

A leaked letter from his ministry yesterday which was shared widely on social media showed that Mr Badjie’s wife Hawa Jorbateh, a non-government official, was listed as an official of the ministry and paid £200 travelling allowance per day for two weeks.

Mr Badjie was paid £300 per day for the duration of the two week official visits.

Other officials in delegation included deputy permanent secretary at the ministry Musa Mbye and Kevin Mendy executive secretary of the National Sports Council. They were also paid £200 travelling allowance per day for two weeks.

The leaked letter was greeted with anger and the minister, the youngest in the Barrow government, was lambasted on social media for authorising the payment to his wife.

One wrote: “I still can’t get on what bases the state funding her wife’s trip.”

Another wrote: “Gambians are disappointed, tired and angry with the pack of lies always coming from their public officials. 

“Barrow has shown that he lacks the spine and teeth to prevail on corruption that has permeated deeply under every facet of his administration.”

Following the backlash the minister of Youth and Sports Bakary Badjie has responded to the corruption allegation.

He clarified that his wife was not among the delegates that travelled to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham but rather the Islamic Games in Konya, Turkey.

“There was an invitation from the Commonwealth Secretariat and the GNOC. Both letters came through Foreign Affairs. GNOC came directly to us and the invitation is for the Commonwealth Games. The Minister is accorded what is called accompanying guest,” Badjie told Gambiana.