The Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) of the National Assembly, after consultations with the stakeholders, has attached a maximum penalty of D1 million for making a statement which is false or intended to mislead. The committee, as reported by its Vice Chairperson Hon. Sidia Jatta of Wuli West Constituency, leveled the penalty at the climax of its engagements with the stakeholders on the document called the Gambia Anti-Corruption Bill 2019, for scrutiny, consideration and reports its findings to the plenary, for subsequent adoption.
Laying the FPAC report before his colleagues on Thursday, 3rd February 2022, the seasoned parliamentarian explicated that the said penalty is leveled against a person who makes or causes another person to make to an officer of the commission or to any other public officer, in the execution of his or her office, a statement which to the knowledge of the person making the statement or causing the statement to be made; (a) is false, or intended to mislead or is untrue in any material particular; or (b) is not consistent with any other statement previously made by such person to any person having authority or power under any law to receive, or require to be made such other statement notwithstanding that the person making the statement is not under any legal or other obligation to tell the truth.
“The committee in this case, recommended a fine not less than D300,000 and not exceeding D1000,000 or imprisonment for not less than 3 years and not exceeding 5 years or to both”, said Hon. Jatta. He further told the assembly that a person who has made a statement to an officer of the commission (corruption) or a public officer in the course of such officer exercising any power conferred by the Act, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to the confiscation of the proceeds of the crime and fine of D100,000 or 2 years imprisonment, or to both ( stipulated in page 25 of the Bill).
“The Committee recommended a fine of D300,000 and not exceeding D1000,000 or imprisonment for not less than 3 years and not exceeding 5 years or to both”, he told NAMs.
He reported also that a fine of D100,000 and not exceeding D300,000 or and imprisonment of not less than 3 months and not exceeding 1 year or to both, has been leveled against a person who is required to provide information to the commission, but fails to do so, as it constitutes an offence.
The said offence, he said, as stipulated in the bill, attracts a fine of D50, 000 or 3 months’ imprisonment or to both.
