NDP LEADER ALLEGES POLITICAL PLOT TO DEPORT RAINEY

The leader of The National Democratic Party, NDP, Kebba Madi Bojang,  has alleged that the  authorities have been planning to deport his friend, German businessman  Muhammed  Rainey who was a target of a chaotic arrest on Tuesday by officers from the Gambia Immigration Department .

Mr Bojang himself was roughly handled by the officers at the scene for allegedly trying to obstruct them.

According to the NDP leader, in an interview with Kerr Fatou TV, Immigration officials even took Rainey to the airport to put him on a flight out of The Gambia, but he was returned home reportedly with a 72-hour order for him to leave the country.

He said it was the public pressure and public outcry from the ugly arrest scene that led to the postponement of Rainey’s deportation.

The NDP leader urged the Gambian authorities to come clean and tell the public what crime has Rainey committed because he has not been charged with any offense.

Bojang revealed that Rainey has been a longtime friend of Gambians from all political divide including the governing NPP and he is very well known by the party’s officials.

“It seems that the only crime Rainey committed is to be a friend of mine and the NDP”, he said.

Rainey was initially arrested by the police Special Investigations Unit SIU and detained for two days without any explanation from the police. The NDP said the arrest was politically motivated because the authorities believed he is the financier of the party and was only questioned about the source of the party’s campaign vehicles and motorbikes.

Meanwhile, a highly placed source has told The Standard that indeed Mr Rainey was asked to leave the country because “his presence in the country is deemed to be detrimental to peace and security,” .

Our source informed The Standard that the authorities have directed for Mr Rainey’s “removal” from Gambia because his “presence is found to be detrimental to the peace and security” of the nation. 

Our source however declined to state the specific findings made against Mr Rainey averring that “if a person’s presence is found to be detrimental and threatening the peace and security, the Minister for The Interior has the authority to remove the person from the country in line with the laws of The Gambia and Immigration Regulations.”

Rainey is reportedly married to a Gambian and has been living in the country since 2020. The Standard understands that Rainey’s lawyers have filed legal papers to block any attempt to remove him.