The Gambia Press Union has rejected parliament for demanding the union to return a sum of half-a-million dalasis unused Covid relief fund given to the media.

“The Gambia Press Union (GPU) hereby expresses its total rejection of a recommendation by the National Assembly to refund more than half a million dalasis of ‘unconfirmed’ expenditure of funds some by media houses that benefitted from the government’s Covid-19 relief package,” GPU said in a statement.

“The GPU would like to clarify that the sum of GDM 585, 159.86 that the FPAC referred to as ‘unused money’ which the audit report categorised as ‘unconfirmed’ expenditure – are funds that were already disbursed to media houses by the GMC for which only five (5) media houses out of forty-three (43), were unable to provide substantial evidence on how the balances of funds allocated to them was utilised during the audit process late last year. The names of all the media houses found to be unable to account for the money are indicated in the audit report,” the statement added. 

“The GPU wasn’t responsible for the management of the fund, and we neither received nor spend a dime from the fund as an institution,” GPU President, Muhammed S. Bah, said.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba