Baba Galleh Jallow, executive secretary of The Gambia’s Truth Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC), has said the contract offered to QTV was for technical backup for the TRRC and not for exclusive coverage rights for the TRRC proceedings.

He said the TRRC media team will supervise the process and distribute audio and video footage to all interested media houses to publish. He denied the rumours circulating on social media that QTV was awarded the contract because of nepotism.

“One of the rumors making the rounds is that QTV was awarded the contract because Muhammed Jah has a brother working at the TRRC. Nothing is further from the truth. Muhammed Jah has no brother that we know of working at the TRRC. It is also not true that QTV is awarded the contract because Muhammed Jah and the TRRC Executive Secretary attended Fourah Bay College at the same time. Equally erroneous are suggestions that this is a deal designed to either steal or waste taxpayers’ money, or that there is some kind of bribery and corruption involved.

“The primary reason for the TRRC’s seeking help with this work is that the commission does not currently have the resources to purchase and install its own video recording and processing equipment.

“Moreover, the award of the contract followed a rigorous and transparent bidding process, including solicitations of proposals and subsequent presentations by all interested media houses before members of the TRRC Contracts Committee and Communications Unit on December 21st, 2018 at the TRRC conference room.

“At that meeting with the Contracts Committee and Communications Unit, presentations were made by every media houses that submitted a proposal. These were Impact Palace (EyeAfrica TV), QTV, Mediamatic (Paradise TV), GRTS, and State of Mic. Each of these media houses were expected to justify their individual charges and demonstrate how they meet the following requirements:

1. Their capacity to record live proceedings and other activities of the Commission without hindrance
2. Their capacity to facilitate video conferencing testimony for witnesses outside The Gambia
3. Their capacity to distort voices/images of witnesses who request anonymity
4. Their capacity to develop a mobile App for the TRRC so the public can access proceedings

After the departure of the media houses, the Contracts Committee and Communications Unit deliberated at length and decided that in terms of the TRRC’s needs, QTV and GRTS were the best qualified bidders. The balance tipped in favor of QTV largely because of the huge differences in their respective charges. QTV was asking for D150, 000 for a month’s filming irrespective of number of sittings or where the sittings are held. GRTS was asking for D30, 000 for a day’s filming, D200, 000 for a week’s filming, and D800, 000 for a month’s filming. Clearly, we cannot afford the kind of money GRTS is asking for. And so it should be obvious why we opted to go for QTV.

“Let us reiterate at this point that what we did is essentially rent QTV’s equipment and personnel support to film our proceedings and facilitate their processing. Every interested media house, including QTV and GRTS, will receive footage and audio recordings of the hearings from the TRRC media team for airing and publishing as they deem fit. The TRRC owns the rights and will keep all recordings for our archives”.