POLICE have physically removed The Gambia’s auditor general, Momodou Ceesay, from his office after he refused to give up the post, in a government reshuffle carried out by President Adama Barrow.
Ceesay, who has spent almost three years as auditor general in the West African state, says he had turned down Barrow’s recent offer to become trade minister.
Yet the president insists that Ceesay originally agreed, but later changed his mind.
The row has angered many Gambians, with some accusing the president of trying to replace Ceesay with someone who will shield him from corruption allegations.
The president has promoted the Director of Internal Audit, Cherno Amadou Sowe, to the post of auditor general, but he has not reported to work following the public backlash.
On Monday, plain-clothes police were sent to the auditor general’s office to arrest Ceesay and install his successor.
But Ceesay’s staff confronted the officers and stalled them, in scenes that were broadcast live on the social media accounts of local news outlets.
It was not until back-up forces arrived that the auditor general was finally ejected from a press conference he was giving and escorted out of the complex to his lawyer’s office.
This action triggered a swift response from young people, who called on the president to reinstate Ceesay, and threatened to take to the streets in the outskirts of the capital, Banjul, until their demands were met.
“He refused your appointment. Now you forcibly remove him out of the office? Are the Gambian people not watching?” asked Gambian activist Kemo Fatty, expressing his fury in a clip which is circulating online.
“If the auditor general does not return to office today, President Barrow will leave the State House today,” he threatened.
Fatty and another anti-corruption activist, Alieu Bah, were later arrested by police, as they gathered at the national audit office and prepared for a press conference.
In recent months, Barrow’s government has been rocked by numerous protests following an investigation by a local newspaper, The Republic, alleging that assets belonging to the disgraced former President Yahya Jammeh had been distributed among close aides of Barrow. He has denied any wrongdoing.
In a statement, Barrow’s office said the government remained “firmly committed to the rule of law, transparency, accountability, and the responsible management of public finances”.
Ceesay’s appointment as trade minister was “based solely on his qualifications and experience”, and was not intended “to interfere with the operations of the National Audit Office”.