The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) has read with dismay and consternation a lead article on the front page of The Point Newspaper of Wednesday 13th June, 2018 captioned: Re: IGP Kinteh Summoned over GFF Fraud Saga.
According to the story, the National Assembly Select Committee on Tourism, Youth, Sports and Culture has summoned the Inspector General of The Gambia Police Force, Mr. Landing Kinteh to appear before the Committee on Thursday morning to explain why the police did not investigate the purported and alleged failure of the GFF to pay a sum of over One Million Dalasi to The Gambia Revenue Authority as penalty and tax liabilities.
The GFF, therefore, wishes to clarify that the issue in connection is linked to a contract signed with two suppliers to deliver materials to the Football Hotel in Old Yundum and as part of the contract we signed with them, they were obliged to pay 10% withholding tax to The Gambia Revenue Authority and there are official correspondences informing the said contractors of this obligation even before this information was brought to light by people bent on smearing our image. Furthermore, the GFF wishes to clarify that the respective suppliers have informed us that they have duly settled all tax dues regarding this transaction with the GRA in full a long time ago.
Furthermore, the GFF believes that the GRA as the Tax collecting authority of government has the means and competence to collect and follow anyone who defaults in this regard, and does not delegate that mandate to anyone else.
We are not unaware that the Chairman of the National Sports Council and his close associates, including the former General Secretary of the GFF and their close associates in the National Assembly Select Committee for Sports, tried in vain to smear the reputation of this institution in an attempt to bring its name into disrepute. It is part of their futile campaign to discredit honest people on this particular matter. Equally, we’re not entirely surprised by this information, coming from people who think they have some special right over the leadership of Gambian football but we will stay on course to enable us meet our set targets of football development in the country; and that no amount of noise, smear campaign, threat, blackmail and sabotage will distract us.
We all know that it’s an election season and since more than half of the delegates, who are supposed to vote in the August 18, Elective Congress have openly endorsed the incumbent Lamin Kabba Bajo and his team’s candidature for a second term, in order to avail them the opportunity to continue the good work. Finally, it is a known fact that the GFF is not a tax paying institution therefore the accusation of tax fraud is false, malicious and misleading.