GOV’T REJECTS CALLS TO PUBLISH LIST OF DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT HOLDERS
Information Minister Dr Ismaila Ceesay has insisted that government will not publish the names of individuals issued with diplomatic passports.
Many Gambians have called for the full list to be published following government’s clarification that only 3030 diplomatic passports have been issued as opposed to 20,000, alleged in some quarters of the Senegalese media, which said those given the passports included former Senegalese government officials.
But Information Minister Ceesay told The Standard yesterday that government is not in position to disclose the names of persons issued with diplomatic passports.
“As a government, we do what we think is in line with the law. We cannot be releasing people’s private details. Those have to do with third party and privacy issues. It is not done. Nobody does that. No country does that and it is not in line with our laws,” Dr Ceesay argued.
He said government has explained the number of diplomatic passports issued and that is the figure.
“That is all we can give. We have a data privacy law in The Gambia now, so we cannot just release people’s names openly in the air just for the purpose of transparency. That is not in line with international practices,” the minister said.
However, according to him anybody wanting disclosure of these names can make a request using the access to information law and government will see if it does not fall within exemptions.
Senegalese officials seeking asylum
Responding to rumours that some former Senegalese officials including ministers of the former regime are now seeking refuge in The Gambia, Minister Ceesay said government is not aware of any former Senegalese official seeking asylum in the Gambia. “Asylum on what grounds?” he asked. “We have cooperation for extradition with Senegal. Just in the past weeks we extradited a Senegalese fugitive. So these are statements made by the opposition to create confusion. If the Senegalese government did not send an arrest warrant for anybody, or make a request for the extradition of anybody, it is not our job to arrest anyone.” Ceesay said.
Source: The Standard
