Posted by By Dawda Faye
Prince Ibrahim Sanyang, the Managing Director of Royal Africa Capital Holdings Company continued his testimony on companies he operated in and outside the country.
Prior to dwelling on the subject matter, he used the occasion to apologise to the chairman of the Commission and his members regarding his last appearance before the commission. He seeks forgiveness from the commission provided that there was anything wrong he said during the course of the proceedings.
He told the commission that he was frustrated but anything wrong he said was not intentional, and is not his character to behave in such a way. Commissioner Janneh told him that his apology was accepted.
Continuing with his testimony, he told the commission that on the 14th of February, 2018, he submitted the state of affairs of the companies to the Receiver (Augustus Prom).
Mr. Sanyang told the commission that he has the certificate of Africa Brokerage Insurance Company, noting that he also submitted letters to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Attorney and Solicitor General, Registrar General as well as the Registrar of Companies.
However, he revealed to the commission that after he invested at the Central Bank of The Gambia, he was asked to withdraw the sum of D10,000,000 from that account based on executive directives. He added that he made a statement to the police and told them he will pursue for justice and get back his money.
According to Prince Sanyang, he was not allowed to leave the Major Crime Unit of the Police Headquarters but he refuted the executive directive; adding that he was under duress.
At this juncture, Mrs. Bensouda asked whether he was not at the Police Headquarters in relation to Asset Management and Recovery Corporation (AMRC), he responded that he made it clear to the investigators that AMRC owed him about $14,000,000; after he signed an agreement with them which he claimed was not honoured by the corporation. He added that he gave them 25 metric tons of cement and the payment is still pending.
Mr. Sanyang testified that he did not sign a loan agreement with AMRC. However, he said AMRC wrote to him a letter while he was in detention, explaining that he owed the company, which he denied.
He acknowledged that his call was relating to the supply of commodities to AMRC; adding that he was not aware that the property he claimed to be his property was in the name of Ansumana Jammeh, neither did he know that the state took an action against Ansumana Jammeh in relation to the property.
At this juncture, Commissioner Saine asked him the source of money he invested into the country. In response, he told the commission these were monies he brought from abroad.
On whether he was aware that Ansumana Jammeh was arrested and remanded in custody, he responded in the affirmative.
According to Prince, his cars were impounded by the then NIA for a period of time and there was also an executive order to arrest all the employees in one of his companies.
Mr. Sanyang further testified that he did not make any claim against Ansumana Jammeh on the basis that he entrusted Mr. Jammeh his properties with the hope that he would not do anything that would be detrimental to his properties. He said it was a bad experience.
He said he wrote to Mr. Prom to allow them continue with their businesses but this was not possible; adding that the allegation made by the receiver (Mr. Prom) that he did not find employees at his company when he visited the company on the 7th of June, 2017 was unfounded.
He also refuted allegations made by the Receiver that he could not produce staff contracts; adding that his office was furnished with computers and files attached. He then appealed to the commission to pay a visit to the company.
Prince Sanyang disclosed that he filed a case challenging the freezing order made against him but the matter is still pending in court. At this juncture, letters he wrote to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Solicitor General, the Inspector General of Police among others were tendered and admitted as exhibits.
Prince Sanyang disclosed that his wife left the country and refused to come back. However, he confirmed that Ansumana Jammeh was his childhood friend and he has been helping him whenever the need arose, noting that Ansumana’s wife is his niece but there was no advantage for him being a shareholder in his company, despite being a brother to the former president an and ambassador.
He finally refuted the claim that he was a close associate of exiled former President Jammeh, claiming that he has no association with Jammeh at all.