“Lang Balla Used his NPP Ties To Rob Dockers; He thought he was Jammeh”

NPP’s Fafa Sanyang Speaks Out on Corruption Allegations and Suspension of Lang Balla Sawo.

By Abdallah Khabib Jallow

In what is arguably one of the grandest corruption scandals at the GPA, the Gambia Dock and Maritime Workers Union (GDMWU) made a decisive move last week by unanimously voting to indefinitely suspend its embattled boss, Lang Balla Sawo. The union’s interim executive committee, supported by Fafa Sanyang, the Welfare officer of the Gambia Dock and Maritime Workers Union, convened a briefing where Mr. Sanyang forthrightly criticised the under-fire boss.

Mr. Sanyang accused Lang Balla of utilising his affiliation with the NPP as a shield against accountability, alleging misappropriation of over D17 million from the union’s workers welfare funds. He asserted that Lang Balla’s perceived immunity stemmed from his strong ties to the ruling NPP, leading to financial impropriety while evading scrutiny.

Addressing a gathering of dock and marine workers, stressing the severity of the situation, Mr. Sanyang spoke to NPP supporters, who for most of the time since the onset of the alleged fraud stood in solidarity with Lang Balla.

“Lang has been shielding himself from accountability using the NPP’s influence, taking advantage of poor workers, and believing he is above the law,” he stated.

However, he acknowledged that some NPP supporters might not be fully informed about the case.

“If you see some NPP supporters showing solidarity with Lang, it’s likely because they are unaware of the full situation, which is why I don’t blame them,” he added.

Mr. Sanyang emphasised the betrayal of trust resulting from the misappropriation of such funds, impacting hundreds of individuals who depend on these funds for their livelihoods.

The allegations centered on Lang Balla’s handling of funds designated for the welfare of union members, sourced primarily from GPA contributions.

“GPA allocated D9 million as a subvention to union members, with each member expected to receive over D25 thousand. However, Lang embezzled these funds, depriving the members of their rightful entitlements,” Sanyang claimed.

He highlighted discrepancies in fund disbursement, claiming that despite substantial dues paid by members, the actual utilization of these funds remains unclear, with only a fraction of the expected amounts accounted for.

“The union dues paid by members working in truck cargo and container vessels for pensioner’s allowance amounted to D7,279,000, excluding contributions from other sectors, totaling D17 million,” Sanyang emphasised.

According to him, during their investigation and visit to the account where these funds were supposed to be deposited, they were surprised to find only D61,000 in the account.

In a bid to support his claim of the missing millions, Sanyang explained, “the interim executive took swift action upon assuming leadership. The interim union president, alongside his deputy, directed GPA management to maintain the collection of union dues but specified that these funds should not be allocated to Lang. Remarkably, within a mere two weeks, they successfully accumulated up to D77,000. This starkly contrasts with the previous seven-year tenure under Lang Balla, where only D61,000 could be accounted for.”

Continuing to address the issue and aiming to remind his fellow NPP supporters who have long dismissed these allegations against Lang as a mere witch hunt, he said: “I want to convey this message to my fellow NPP supporters: This is the conduct and irresponsibility exhibited by Lang. I could have chosen to support him on this since we’re from the same party, but I wouldn’t do it because this is not about politics. If you truly care about Lang, just as I do, you should focus on helping him address these issues rather than blindly supporting him in such misconduct. If you choose otherwise, it may indicate a lack of genuine concern for him.”

Uninterruptedly, he urged them to bear in mind that over 500 individuals, who put their lives at risk working to feed their families, are being robbed.

“Therefore, if all these people agree to suspend Lang, it is their right to do so,” Sanyang added.

He further mentioned that the GPA management has agreed to approve Lang’s suspension following the union’s inquiry.

Addressing concerns of political interference, Sanyang reassured union members that the president has distanced himself from the case, emphasizing his commitment to impartiality and justice.

“To clarify this matter, H.E. President Barrow has guaranteed that he has nothing to do with this case. He understands that there are people here who support and voted for him. If he were to support Lang over the members in this matter, it would not be a good approach for a leader, and the president is conscious of this because it wouldn’t do him any good in the upcoming election,” he stressed.

In a clear attempt to refute longstanding claims of Lang Balla’s employment discrimination in favor of the NPP, Mr. Sanyang insisted that this has never been the case. Instead, he pointed out that Lang practiced favoritism in his employment terms for personal gain.

“Lang was offering jobs in exchange for money. Some job seekers were paying Lang amounts exceeding D20,000 to secure a job as dockworkers,” Mr. Sanyang alleged.

He further claimed to know of instances where individuals paid over D50,000 to Lang just to secure a job in the docking industry.

“Paying for employment within our country? That should never happen anywhere. It is the right of every citizen to apply for a job freely. If jobs were intended to be sold, then President Barrow would have become a billionaire,” Sanyang emphasised.

Still on the illegitimate activities under Lang Balla’s leadership, he claimed that promotions weren’t necessarily based on merit but rather on Lang’s personal preference.

“Lang felt untouchable to the point where even the workers and his subordinates were afraid of him. Whatever he deemed right was considered the correct course, and no one dared to challenge him. He would bring a new employee to the office the next day without informing any of his senior staff, neglecting proper employment procedures for the new hire.

“Even if someone speaks out about his misconduct, others would walk away due to fear of being punished or even fired. He was literally running the department similar to how ex-president Jammeh ruled the country, not realising that we are now free from those days. However, all this was possible because of his strong alignment with the NPP,” Sanyang boldly claimed.

He stressed that these issues were among several others occurring in the industry. However, he vowed that they would become history, assuring the workers of trust in the new interim executive.

In his concluding remarks, he commended the dockers for their resilience in standing against corruption and malpractice, expressing hope for a renewed era of integrity under new and more conducive working conditions.

Despite Lang Balla facing a tough indefinite suspension, it remains to be seen whether he will face indictment, pending further developments in this ongoing saga of alleged gross financial malpractice.