Gambia's central bank "intact", says President Barrow's spokesman

Record ID: 165305

  • Title: Gambia's central bank "intact", says President Barrow's spokesman
  • Date: 23rd January 2017
  • Summary: BANJUL, GAMBIA (JANUARY 23, 2017) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** SPOKESMAN FOR GAMBIA'S NEW PRESIDENT ADAMA BARROW, HALIFA SALLAH, TAKING SEAT AT NEWS CONFERENCE SALLAH SITTING AND CHECKING MICROPHONE JOURNALISTS LISTENING TO NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESMAN FOR GAMBIA'S NEW PRESIDENT ADAMA BARROW, HALIFA SALLAH, SAYING: "Jammeh left on Saturday and today is the first working day. And what we had to do is to prepare the ground for the assumption of power to have meaning. That is - to be able to deliver services to the Gambian people." SALLAH SPEAKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESMAN FOR GAMBIA'S NEW PRESIDENT ADAMA BARROW, HALIFA SALLAH, SAYING: "There had been information to the public about the central bank. It was of particular concern but the inspector general (of) police told me that everything is intact. I've spoken to the governor and they really have no problem because they're working and the banks are working at the weekend. We've also been informed of some bit of administrative contradictions in terms of instructions given to certain equal heads." CAMERAMAN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESMAN FOR GAMBIA'S NEW PRESIDENT ADAMA BARROW, HALIFA SALLAH, SAYING: "The third aspect is the main aspect that I'm sure is keeping all of you here in the Gambia up to this time, and that is the return of President Barrow. Consideration basically is where he's going to reside and where he's going to carry out his duties. Because of the situation of the State House, work is being done, reliable security apparatus is being created, and that aspect seems to have already been consolidated and so one must look at the State House and see what to do to, as I said yesterday using the wrong words, that is to sanitize the institution." MORE OF JOURNALISTS LISTENING TO NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 6th February 2017 17:41
  • Keywords: Gambia Banjul Jammeh Barrow
  • Location: BANJUL, GAMBIA
  • City: BANJUL, GAMBIA
  • Country: Gambia
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA00160AYOUF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Gambia's central bank remained "intact" on Monday (January 23), a spokesman for Gambia's new President Adama Barrow said, after the West African nation's former ruler Yahya Jammeh fled the country at the weekend amid concern that he had looted state coffers.
    "There had been information to the public about the central bank. It was of particular concern but the inspector general (of) police told me that everything is intact," Halifa Sallah, Barrow's spokesman said at a news conference in Gambia's capital Banjul.
    Speaking on Sunday (January 22) to radio station RFM in Senegal, Barrow said that initial inspection indicated Jammeh had looted state resources.
    Just how much wealth Jammeh managed to take with him is subject to speculation.
    Barrow advisor Mai Ahmad Fatty later told journalists Jammeh had withdrawn 500 million dalasis ($11.51 million) in the past two weeks. He said the Chadian cargo plane was on the tarmac and was ferrying some belongings of the former president.
    But with attention focused entirely on the ex-president's departure it was unclear what happened to the cargo plane and what may or may not have been in it. He was not reachable for further comment on Monday.
    Monday marked the first working day in Gambia since ex-ruler Yahya Jammeh fled into exile late on Saturday (January 21) after 22 years in power.
    Soldiers from a West African regional force entered Gambia's presidential compound, State House, the symbolic seat of Jammeh's authoritarian regime, on Sunday (January 22) in an operation launched to allow new president to assume office.
    "Because of the situation of the State House, work is being done, reliable security apparatus is being created, and that aspect seems to have already been consolidated and so one must look at the State House and see what to do to (...) sanitize the institution," Sallah added.
    Jammeh's exit ends rising tension as thousands of troops from Senegal and Nigeria who entered Gambia on Thursday (January 19) were poised to swoop on the capital Banjul.
    It also paves the way for the return home of Barrow, who was sworn in as leader at the Gambian embassy in Senegal on Thursday.
    The initiative to force Jammeh out will likely be viewed as a triumph for African diplomacy and could set a precedent in a region where democracy advocates have spent decades pressing for fair elections and an end to authoritarian regimes.
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