Kebba Bojang, Assistant Secretary at the Janneh Commission
By Fatou Sillah
Kebba Bojang, Assistant Secretary of the Janneh Commission, appeared before the National Assembly select committee on Tuesday to testify regarding the acquisition of former President Yahya Jammeh’s vehicles by Jah Oil during recent auctions.
Bojang stated that the auctions were conducted openly, with the highest bidder prevailing, and that Jah Oil’s purchases were made at or below the reserve prices established by the valuers.
“Whenever we come across such instances, we just reach out to the office for guidance. That was our modus operandi,” he explained.
During his testimony, Bojang read from a report highlighting several transactions. One notable purchase involved a vehicle labeled as a Benz MK24, which had a reserve price of 20,000 Dalasi but was sold for 18,000 Dalasi. The report indicated that the car was in poor condition, with a damaged engine and gearbox, and missing front headlights.
“Another discrepancy here is that instead of a Benz, it is actually a Hyundai MK14,” Counsel Dibba noted during the proceedings.
Lead Counsel Dibba raised concerns over the apparent undervaluation of vehicles and the fairness of the auction process. He questioned why some cars were sold below the reserve price, including one vehicle with a reserve of 20,000 Dalasi that sold for 18,000 Dalasi.
Counsel Dibba also questioned the sale of a Benz, identified as item MK57, which was sold for 30,000 Dalasi—the same as its reserve price.
“The reserve price for the valuation report is indeed 30,000, and that is what was captured here. But it seems like Jah Oil Company they are a very lucky company because they seem to be getting assets either at the reserve price or under the reserve price,” Counsel Dibba remarked.
In response, the witness suggested that there may have been no other interested bidders for the vehicle.
“Maybe I’m not sure, but I’m not ruling that scenario out, and he was the only interested party, maybe in this instance,” he stated.
The witness also confirmed that Jah Oil purchased an armored vehicle during the auction.
Counsel Dibba inquired whether Bojang had observed any G-Wagons being sold. “Do you remember seeing any G-wagons for sale?” he asked. Bojang replied that he could not recall seeing any.
When asked about the presence of multiple Benz vehicles, the witness stated that he could not clearly remember, but based on the evidence before him, several Benzes were included in the auction.
Counsel Dibba then pointed out apparent inconsistencies in the auction records. “So we have gone through this report, and I’ve picked bits and pieces of the report to show you inconsistencies, where the valuation report was practically disregarded. And the consequence of that is that what the sales accumulated to would have been below what the value was estimated to be for several weeks. The other trend I see, you would call it an error, is duplications of a few items,” he told the witness.