By Staff Writer
Sergeant Modou Saine, former personal assistant to the Chief of Defence Staff of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF), Lieutenant General Mamat O. Cham, has leveled serious allegations of corruption and misconduct against his former boss.
Sgt. Saine said he once shared a tight professional and personal bond with Lt. Gen. Cham, a role that purportedly saw him managing a wide array of the General’s official and private responsibilities. However, as Saine told Kerr Fatou in an extensive phone interview, that relationship has since collapsed, prompting him to step forward as a whistleblower against what he views as unethical and unlawful conduct.
According to Saine, the CDS allegedly lobbied a Chinese businessman based in Dakar to procure a tractor for the Gambia Army, promising in return to appoint him as a goodwill ambassador for the Gambia Armed Forces. Saine claims that when the tractor was acquired, it was shipped with the consignee listed as Defence Headquarters, Gambia Armed Forces.
However, he further alleged that Lt. Gen. Cham subsequently facilitated a change to the shipment’s documentation. According to Saine, a letter written on Defence Headquarters letterhead was sent to MAERSK Line requesting that the consignee be changed to the personal name of Mamat O. A. Cham. A copy of the letter, dated August 21st, 2025, bearing the signature of Lieutenant Colonel Abdoulie Jobe on behalf of the Chief of Defence Staff, was provided to Kerr Fatou.
Saine also alleged that he was instructed and given cash by the CDS to clear the tractor upon its arrival at the Port of Banjul. He stated that after completing the clearance process, he transported the tractor to a private property belonging to Lt. Gen. Cham in Sukuta Salagi. He further claimed that the tractor, initially requested in the name of the Gambia Armed Forces, is now registered in the CDS’s name.
These allegations have not been independently verified, and the current status and ownership of the tractor remain unclear.
Comments are closed.