The Gambia under the military junta led by Yahya Jammeh was used as a conduit to funnel through funds to separatist rebels in Senegal’s southern province, the truth commission heard on Monday.
In the third episode of his marathon testimony before Gambia’s Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission, Edward Singhateh said while he was deputy to Jammeh in 1995, Libya had sent over $250, 000 to Banjul which was meant for rebels in Casamance who were prosecuting a separatist conflict for independence from Dakar.
Singhateh, a trained lawyer was expounding on the possible reasons for the assassination of Jammeh’s then civilian Finance minister Ousman Koro Ceesay who he alleged was aware of the funds from Libya.
Five witnesses to the truth commission had named Singhateh as being present in the house of Yankuba Touray, the then minister of Local Government and Lands when Ceesay was being bludgeoned to death.
British-born Singhateh had denied being present or the direct accusation that he had taken part in Ceesay’s killing.
The former magistrate also denied bearing any grudge against the Finance minister which would have explained why he would have killed him.
He said instead his relations with the young economist were very cordial given the fact that Ceesay’s father was his headmaster in primary school and took great care of him and his siblings.
In earlier testimonies the former junta member who went on to become the deputy chair of the Economic Community of West African States took full responsibility for maltreating political opponents and Sana Sabally his colleague in the ruling military council.
He also owned up to the execution and torture of soldiers in the wake of the November 11 1994 countercoup and the arrest of Sabally, his ally Sadibou Hydara and their orderlies.
Switching to Mandinka and then Wolof Singhateh asked for forgiveness from the families of the victims and begged that Gambians find it in their heart to bury the hatchet and start anew.
WN/as/APA