DR CEESAY SAYS Auditor General ACCEPTED APPOINTMENT AS MINISTER BEFORE…
Information minister, Dr Ismaila Ceesay, last evening told The Standard that Auditor General Modou Ceesay accepted the ministerial job when summoned to State House and made the offer by President Barrow on Wednesday.
“He [AG Ceesay] was handed his appointment letter and even hugged the president and both exchanged smiles. So as far as we are concerned, he has accepted the offer and him declining the offer only came when he left the State House which has come as a surprise,” Dr Ceesay explained.
He said he could not hazard a guess on what led to Mr Ceesay’s apparent change of heart and that he could not make a statement on how the matter is going to pan out, stating: “When I have any information regarding this, I will let you know.”
When The Standard reached out to him to solicit comment on the claim, AG Ceesay said he preferred to remain silent on the issue at the moment. “If there is any new development, I would prefer communicating it through my communication officer,” he said.
Yesterday morning, the National Audit Office issued a public statement informing “all concerned stakeholders” that Auditor General Ceesay has “respectfully declined” his appointment as Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration, and Employment announced by the Office of the President, Wednesday.
The statement said Mr Ceesay is “dedicated to serving in his role as the auditor general and in diligently executing the functions conferred on him by the Constitution of The Gambia, to improve the lives of citizens through public sector auditing”.
Mr Ceesay was to be succeeded as auditor general by Cherno Amadou Sowe, the head of the Directorate of Internal Audit at the Ministry of Finance.
Meanwhile, Madi Jobarteh’s EFSCRJ has issued a statement saying the attempt to remove Mr Ceesay is illegal according to the National Audit Office Act of 2015, and demanded his return to the position of auditor general.
‘The position is crucial for ensuring accountability, transparency, and integrity in the management of public funds… The auditor general is independent of political and administrative control, ensuring objectivity in audits which is essential for credible and impartial oversight,” EFSCRJ statement averred.
According to the National Audit Office Act of 2015, the auditor general holds office for a maximum of nine years and must vacate office upon reaching the compulsory retirement age.
The president can remove the auditor for inability to perform functions due to infirmity of mind or body, misbehaviour and incompetence.
Ceesay was appointed auditor general in November 2022.
In October 2021, a similar drama played out when Bakary Jammeh contested his removal as Central Bank governor and appointment as minister of trade. Jammeh said his removal was unconstitutional but eventually he left the office.
Source: The Standard
