Information Minister Dr Ismaila Ceesay has refunded money transferred to his Wave account by Omar Saibo Camara, insisting the funds were linked to a D50,000 school water project and did not belong to him, while Camara maintains the amount involved was D12,000.

In a statement, Dr Ceesay said he returned the money because it was originally provided by an organisation to finance a water supply project for a school and was intended solely for the benefit of the institution and its students.

“I can’t receive money that doesn’t belong to me,” the minister said.

Dr Ceesay said the funds were specifically meant for the implementation of the project and stressed that accountability requires ensuring resources intended for the public good reach their rightful beneficiaries.

He also clarified that, “for the avoidance of doubt, the amount involved was D50,000.”
However, Camara, spokesperson for Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA), disputed the minister’s account, saying the project involved D12,000, not D50,000.

Camara said that about ten years ago Dr Ceesay entrusted him with D11,500 to install a water supply at a school and D500 as transport fare, but admitted that he failed to carry out the assignment.

“I take full responsibility for that failure,” he said.

According to Camara, Dr Ceesay later told him to keep the money, leading him to believe the matter had been settled privately.

He said he was surprised when the minister referred to the issue publicly during a television interview, suggesting Dr Ceesay may have mistakenly recalled the amount.

“Given the passage of time, he may genuinely have misremembered the figure, referring to D50,000 instead of the actual amount of D12,000,” Camara said.

Camara said he nevertheless transferred D12,000 to Dr Ceesay through Wave in order to finally close the matter, adding that he held no ill feelings towards the minister and remained committed to promoting accountability.

The differing statements leave the amount at the centre of the dispute unresolved, with Dr Ceesay insisting the school project involved D50,000, while Camara maintains the original sum was D12,000, which he said he has now refunded in full.

By Adama Makasuba