Gambian police have recommended that former electoral commission chairman Alieu Momarr Njai be prosecuted for alleged corruption and abuse of office, following a ten-month investigation.

The probe, launched after a special audit of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), also advised charges against the commission’s finance director, Anthony Robert Secka, for negligence and misuse of office.

A police report, seen by The Republic, has been submitted to the attorney general’s chambers for legal advice.

Auditors found that the IEC transferred more than 301 million dalasis ($4.3m) into private bank accounts of returning officers during recent electoral cycles.

Investigators confirmed that Njai authorised around 16 million dalasis in allowances to staff, including incentive and monitoring payments, which auditors said were not covered under the Electoral Service Code.

Police concluded the payments were unconstitutional and “might tantamount to official corruption”.

Mr Secka, who has worked with the commission since 2003, is accused of transferring large sums into private accounts, including more than 100 million dalasis to himself for election expenses in the West Coast region.

The audit also flagged alleged overpayments to a Canadian company contracted to supply election materials, unretired funds, and missing receipts from party registration and nomination fees.

The police report cited procurement breaches and the IEC’s failure to remit revenues into the consolidated fund, in violation of financial regulations.

Mr Njai, 91, retired earlier this year after nearly a decade as chairman. He oversaw the 2016 presidential election that ended Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule, an outcome he was praised for announcing despite threats.

However, his later years in office were marred by controversy, including persistent calls for his retirement and questions over the commission’s handling of the 2021 election.

The government has yet to decide whether to act on the police recommendations.

This story was first reported by The Republic, a Gambia-based investigative news platform,