Ousainou Darboe Announces Tax Clearance, Set for Nomination

The Leader and Secretary-General of the United Democratic Party (UDP), Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, told his supporters during a rally over the weekend that he has settled his income tax clearance with GRA in his bid for the nomination, ahead of the December presidential polls.

Darboe was found liable for tax evasion to a tune of about 2 million dalasis by the Commission of Inquiry sometime in January.

“We are going to be registered. I am going to be nominated. We have done all the preparatory acts for nomination and am happy to announce to you that the so-called, or those who thought we were not going to be nominated. So I tell you that I have got my income tax clearance. And in the next couple of days, I am going to prepare a declaration of my assets which I will submit to the IEC before the 1st of November on my nomination day,” he told his supporters.

Darboe’s tax evasion case was heard before the Supreme Court sometime in January 2020. The Court held that the Commission was correct in finding Lawyer Ousainou Darboe liable.

The Supreme Court during these trial upheld the decision of the Commission of Inquiry that Lawyer Darboe was paying tax as arrears for nomination in the election and that he (Darboe) was not in compliance with the tax laws but, Darboe argued that the Commission lacks the mandate to reassess his tax. Therefore, the action was contrary to law because the Commission didn’t have such powers.

However, he told his supporters, “Those who want to take injunction, who want to go to court to challenge Ousainou Darboe’s nomination, they’re free to do so.”