Prominent human rights advocate Madi Jobarteh has called on the National Assembly to summon the Director General of the State Intelligence Services (SIS), Ousman Sowe, over the agency’s controversial request to observe the ongoing parliamentary inquiry into the Russian oil scandal.
The SIS reportedly asked to sit in on the hearings, but their request was denied by the National Assembly. Still, Jobarteh believes the matter should not end there.
> “The National Assembly is the highest body responsible for holding public institutions accountable. No agency, not even the SIS, has the authority to monitor its work,” Jobarteh stressed.
He argued that the SIS had no legal grounds to observe the inquiry and accused the agency of trying to insert itself where it doesn’t belong.
> “It is troubling that the SIS, an intelligence body meant to focus on national security, would even consider attending a parliamentary session. What exactly do they intend to observe? Are they trying to oversee or influence the process?” he asked.
According to Jobarteh, the SIS’s role is to gather intelligence, not to involve itself in parliamentary oversight.
> “Allowing them to attend such hearings could intimidate lawmakers and witnesses, discouraging open and honest testimony,” he warned.
He also reminded the public that The Gambia’s Constitution protects both lawmakers and witnesses during parliamentary proceedings. Sections 113 and 114 shield National Assembly Members (NAMs) from prosecution over what they say during sessions, and Section 119(3) protects witnesses from legal consequences for their testimony. The inquiry itself, he noted, holds the status of a high court—making SIS involvement inappropriate and unconstitutional.
> “A request like this is not just overstepping boundaries—it’s a potential act of contempt and interference, which goes against Section 110 of the Constitution,” Jobarteh explained.
He didn’t hold back in his criticism of the SIS, suggesting their interest in the inquiry might be an attempt to compensate for their failure in detecting the illegal entry of Russian oil into the country in the first place.
> “If the SIS had done its job properly, there wouldn’t even be a scandal. Their role is to prevent these issues, not to monitor how parliament investigates them after the fact,” he concluded.
