Gambia police, on Monday, forcibly removed the country’s Auditor-General, Momodou Ceesay, from office after he rejected his redeployment as Trade Minister by President Adama Barrow.
Ceesay, who has served as auditor-general for nearly three years, was named in a recent cabinet reshuffle but declined the appointment. President Barrow, however, insisted that Ceesay had initially accepted the posting before changing his mind.
The standoff escalated when plainclothes officers stormed the National Audit Office in Banjul to arrest Ceesay and install his successor, Cherno Amadou Sowe, the former Director of Internal Audit.
Staff of the audit office initially resisted the takeover in scenes streamed live by local media. It eventually took police reinforcements to eject Ceesay from a press conference and escort him to his lawyer’s office.
The incident sparked outrage from citizens and activists, who accused President Barrow of undermining the independence of the audit office in order to shield his administration from corruption allegations.
According to BBC, Activist Kemo Fatty condemned the move, saying, “He refused your appointment. Now you forcibly remove him out of the office. Are the Gambian people not watching? If the auditor general does not return to office today, President Barrow will leave the State House today.”
Fatty and fellow activist Alieu Bah were later arrested while preparing to address journalists at the audit office.
The forced removal comes amid rising protests over allegations that assets belonging to former President Yahya Jammeh had been redistributed among Barrow’s allies, a claim the president has denied.
In a statement, the presidency defended Ceesay’s redeployment, saying his appointment as Trade Minister was “based solely on his qualifications and experience” and not an attempt to weaken the audit office.
“The government remains firmly committed to the rule of law, transparency, accountability, and the responsible management of public finances,” the statement added.
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