MALAGEN: $20 AIRPORT SECURITY FEE CAUSED D274M LOS - Bantaba in Cyberspace
A Gambian investigative report raised serious questions about the award and operation of the airport security-fee contract with US-based Securiport. The allegations should be assessed alongside the relevant audit findings and any responses from the company and…
Archive note: the original publication date could not be verified. March 14, 2021 is an assigned catalogue date for this record.
Editorial note: This archive item reproduces or summarizes third-party material supplied to the newsroom. Allegations remain attributed to the speakers or outlets identified and should not be read as independent judicial findings by this publication.
A Gambian investigative report raised serious questions about the award and operation of the airport security-fee contract with US-based Securiport. The allegations should be assessed alongside the relevant audit findings and any responses from the company and government.
The Gambia government has signed a contract with Securiport to provide aviation and immigration security, starting 2018.
But the contract could not start until Sept. 2019 when the charge was imposed on inbound and outbound passengers, instead of initial plans of charging it to the tickets, which failed.
Yet, the firm has billed the government to pay $4.5m as accrued arrears. The contract was also extended from 10 to 15 years for the same delay, according to the story.
Malagen has revealed further that the contract was negotiated from the Office of the President, and despite opposition from key ministries such as tourism and justice, it was signed and implemented in what has been queried as violation of public procurement and public finance rules.
“The introduction of $20 security levy at the airport has caused possible financial loss of at least D274m to the state. And the party has just started. It has just been three years, 11 more years to go,” the report state.
The findings formed part of a 2022 investigation into the airport security-fee arrangement.
The 2022 investigation estimated potential losses of at least D274 million to the state, an allegation that requires careful distinction from any independently established final loss.
The contract granted to Securiport, a US-based company to provide aviation and immigration security was negotiated from the Office of the President. Despite public outcry, objection from travel and tourism industry, and strong opposition from even within the government, the Securiprofit deal was signed and implemented in apparent violation of laws on tax, procurement and public finance.
"In the not-too-distant future, members of the National Assembly will investigate the motive and purpose behind the introduction of the highly controversial and much-criticised airport security levy system as well as make a decision on what should be done about the issue, the NAM for Latrikunda Sabiji, Yaya Sanyang told The Standard."
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
" Why? Public service is for the public, it is not for few people to enjoy and the rest suffer. So, I wouldn’t pay and enrich people when my country is losing money and people are poor. It is not about the money; I can easily pay it. It is not fair for me in terms of principles, to pay it for exploitation. This is merely exploiting people and it is government officials or agencies that are helping these people [Securiport] to do this.”
By Tabora Bojang on September 19, 2022
A University of The Gambia senior lecturer who refused to pay a compulsory security levy at the Banjul airport leading to the seizure of his passport, told The Standard that he declined to pay the U$20 because he considered it an exploitation of citizens by the government.
Sait Matty Jaw’s passport was confiscated by immigration officers at the Banjul airport after he returned from Ghana on Saturday and refused to pay the levy collected by Securiport company.
Jaw who is the co-founder and executive director of the Centre for Research and Policy Development, CepRas, said his refusal to pay the compulsory fee came after reading Malagen’s latest exposé detailiing malpractices in the contract awarded to the US based company by the Barrow government in 2018.
The report revealed that the introduction of the US$20 security levy has caused a possible financial loss of at least D274 million to the state.
Explaining his encounter at the airport, Mr Jaw said: “I was in Ghana when the Malagen report was published. After reading it and looking at the alleged losses of millions of dalasis to the country, I decided I am not going to pay [the security levy] and I tweeted it the day before I flew to Banjul from Ghana.
So, when I got to the airport, I followed the process and I was on the queue until it was my turn to go and pay, I decided not to go there and pay [the security levy]. Instead, I moved to where the Immigration line was and I stood there and I told them clearly that I was not going to pay. The first supervisor from Securiport came and asked me to pay and I insisted that I was not going to pay.
Then a second supervisor came and asked why I was not going to pay. I asked him why should I pay and then I later moved to the immigration area. When I arrived, they [immigration officers] did their normal processing in a very nice manner and they took my passport and declared it not paid. So, they took [the passport] and I left the airport.”
Sait, a frequent flyer through the Banjul airport, said he has been looking for answers “for this very question of why people are paying” and that the Malagen report crystallised the answer for him.
He said he is weighing his options including resorting to legal means to reclaim his passport from the authorities.
“Let them keep the passport. I am in my country and I am free. I will look at other options and I will follow due process to ensure I get my documents back. But why must we pay for leaving or coming to our country? This is creating a lot of impact on our tourism industry. Everybody is complaining and the government does not want to listen. Why? Public service is for the public, it is not for few people to enjoy and the rest suffer.